Making Digi Magic
by Shirley Ann Burton
Summary: Rika and Renamon from Digimon join forces with Ace Cooper the Magician in this tale when Digimon destruction starts occurring in Electro City!
1. A Tamer Comes to Electro City

Making Digi-Magic   
By: Shirley Ann Burton

**The Double-Trouble Disclaimer:**   
** _The Magician_, and all other related material, are copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia. _Digimon_, and all other related material there, are copyrighted by Toei Animation and Saban Entertainment. Angela Jacobs is my original character. Need I say more?**   
**Now, my note to you before I start this thing:**   
** This story is NOT a part of the Angela Jacobs series because it does not tie in with those stories, since they are all interconnected. For this story, only Rika Nonaka and her Digimon friend Renamon are involved. In addition, _Digimon_ for this season takes place in 2001 on TV while _The Magician_ takes place in at least 2030. As a result, I have had to create an alternate universe where all of them could co-exist on the same plane. I hope you like this really weird story.**

Part 1: A Tamer Comes to Electro City 

**Tokyo, Japan…two months earlier** 

In their seemingly modest home, a 13-year-old girl, her mother, and her grandmother relaxed as they ate a nice hearty dinner. Just then, the telephone rang.   
"I'll get it," said the teenager, dressed in a blue-and-white t-shirt with a broken heart on the front side. She had lilac-colored eyes and light brown hair scrunched up with the bottom sticking out on top. "Nonaka residence, Rika speaking."   
"Rika…Nonaka?" said a young woman on the other line. "I didn't know Rumiko had a daughter. She never told me."   
"May I ask who's calling please?"   
"I'm sorry. My name is Zelda LeMond. I know your mother, Rumiko Nonaka. Can I speak with her please?"   
"Sure, just a second." Rika Nonaka came into the living room where her mother Rumiko and her grandmother watched television. "Mom, a woman named Zelda LeMond is on the phone for you."   
Rumiko, a fashion model herself, was very surprised to hear that name. "Zelda? In Electro City, California? It's been three years since I heard from her."   
She ran to the telephone and picked up the receiver. "Zelda! I can't believe it."   
"Hello, Rumiko," said a happy Zelda in her home in Electro City. "I'm so glad I could get in touch with you."   
"Really? Why?"   
"I want to invite you here to Electro City for a photo shoot. The scenery would be perfect for you. Would you like to come here for the job?"   
"Can I discuss it with my family?"   
"Of course."   
Rumiko turned to her mother and grandmother. "Listen, I have a chance to do a photo shoot in Electro City, California, in the United States. How about we turn this into a family vacation, and we all go."   
Rika was slightly hesitant. _I'm not sure I should,_ she thought. _I mean, I've got my job here as a tamer._   
_ Rika,_ said another voice only the teenager could hear, _maybe a change of pace will help you some. Besides, knowing other parts of the world may actually help you as a tamer._   
_ But Mom's a model, and I don't feel interested in this kind of thing._   
Rika's grandmother Mishara became very excited. "I think that's a wonderful idea! We could use a change in the scenery from here. Besides, there's someone there I've always wanted to see."   
"Who, Grandma?" asked a curious Rika.   
"Ace Cooper, the famous Magician. He lives and performs there in Electro City."   
"Oh." _Ace Cooper? If he's so famous, how come I've never heard of him?_   
_ Because you've been so busy with battle after battle,_ said the other voice. _ He really is the best magician on Earth, and he also happens to be one of the most powerful._   
_ Okay, Renamon, if you say so. I guess Henry and Takato won't mind me leaving for a couple of weeks…I hope._   
_ Don't worry, Rika. They do have Guilmon and Terriermon to keep an eye on things. They'll be fine._   
Rika then looked at her relatives. "All right, I guess I could go, but I…need to notify my friends."   
"Great, then it's settled," said Rumiko. She then talked into the telephone again. "Zelda, we're coming over. We'll be in Electro City in two months."   
"I can't wait to see you again. After all, you're the one who inspired me as a child to give modeling a try."   
Rumiko smiled with a small tear in her eye. "Oh, Zelda, stop. We'll see you in two months' time." She then hung up the phone. "This will be great! A trip overseas for a photo shoot and it can double as a family getaway."   
"Yeah," Rika said, a smile growing on her face, "maybe it will do some good for a change. I'm definitely in." 

The next day, Rika met up with two other friends in an old small shack inside Shinjuku Park.   
"And that's the story," she told them. "Mom is going all the way to Electro City, California, for a photo shoot with another model named Zelda LeMond."   
Takato Matsuda, who lived above a bread shop with his parents, and Henry Wong, whose father helped to create the famous Digital Monsters game, both grew somewhat worried about her leaving the area.   
Then, a strange creature, cream-colored with long floppy ears like a rabbit with a single horn on his forehead, spoke. "Um, Rika, how long is the trip gonna be?"   
"The trip's not for two months yet, Terriermon, but from what Mom's telling me, it'll be for about a week-and-a-half. She wants to get a chance to see the sites around Electro City, and Grandma's interested in seeing Ace Cooper."   
Takato's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean the Ace Cooper, the great magician!? How cool!"   
"I don't know that much about him."   
"Then you don't watch a lot of TV," Henry noted. "Ace Cooper is a media superstar with his awesome magic. I remember one time when he was able to stop someone who looked exactly like him live on television."   
"I saw that," interjected Takato. "Man, he's one wicked-cool magician!"   
Rika noticed how excited they were about the very mention of Ace Cooper. "Hmm, I guess I could try going to see a show of his live."   
"What do you mean by 'live'?" asked a creature about two feet taller than Terriermon and resembling a small red lizard. "I don't get it."   
Henry tried his best to explain. "It's like this, Guilmon. It's fun watching him on television, but it's even more fun when you get to see his magic act in person."   
The little red lizard understood perfectly. "I get it now. Takato could see me live here, but not on television, right?"   
"Um, not quite," said Takato. "You see, we have a sport where sometimes games are seen live very early in the morning. Since we can't stay up late, I—oh, never mind, it's too complicated."   
Rika laughed slightly. "Never mind. If Grandma wants to see this Magician, so be it. However, I've never been a true believer of magic, so I don't know why she thinks Cooper is that special."   
"She think Cooper's cool," said Henry, "wait till she sees the girl magician working with him now."   
"Girl magician?"   
Terriermon was surprised. "You mean you don't know? There's a girl magician named Angela Jacobs who performs with him on lots of his shows. I've heard rumors that she and this guy Cooper share a weird bond or something."   
"You've got to be kidding me," said a sarcastic Rika.   
_Don't be so sure of that, Rika,_ the other voice said. _Anything is possible, especially in the realm of magic. My only concern is…why are you taking me with you? I am no use to you in America._   
_ Renamon, you're my friend. I don't want to leave you behind, so I'm taking you and my Digivice with me._   
_ I'm worried about you bringing it with you, but it's your choice. I should tell you, though, we more than likely won't find any Digimon in Electro City._   
_ Maybe it'll be a good vacation for you, too, Renamon. Let's just forget about battles for now, okay?_   
The other voice chuckled. _Okay, Rika. You win. I'll relax on the trip._

**Present Time** 

Rika and her family were at Tokyo International Airport with the young lady about to say goodbye to her two friends. "Take care of Japan, and don't let any digital field get out of hand."   
"Don't worry, Rika," noted Henry. "Things will be fine. Now just relax, enjoy yourself, and catch an act by that guy Ace Cooper."   
"If Grandma wants to see it, then I'll go. I won't go by myself, though."   
Takato added, "Remember, no fighting while you're over there. Your mom wouldn't be too happy."   
"Goggle-head, I'm not happy now. I don't want to go on a nutty fashion shoot to Electro City, but what other choice have I got?"   
"Come on, Rika. Zelda LeMond is one of the most popular models in the world. I read somewhere that she got her inspiration after seeing your mother. Give it a chance."   
"Well…all right, if you guys say so."   
"Flight 298 from Tokyo to Electro City now boarding at gate 43," the message announced over the speakers.   
"That's my flight. I'll see you guys in two weeks, but don't expect me to tell about anything exciting, since there are no Digimon in America."   
"Okay, whatever," said Henry. "Now go on, or you'll miss your flight."   
Rika ran up with her mother and grandmother to get on the plane bound for Electro City.   
On the flight to America, Rika wondered about what it would be like to visit a completely different country. _There's so much I've heard about…the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore, New York City, the works! I wish I had time to see all of America._   
_ It would be nice,_ said the other voice. _The sights and sounds of a country rich in differing cultures. I hear there are places like a "Little Tokyo," "Little Italy," little everything._   
_ I hear it's very diverse in its cultures and religions. Maybe it won't be such a bad trip after all. I just wish there were—_   
_ Digimon to fight? Come on, Rika. Let's give it a rest for a while. Maybe I won't be needed…then I can take a vacation._   
_ Okay, okay. Forget I said that._

Meanwhile, in Electro City, California, a young woman in her mid-20s with light brown hair and green eyes did some house cleaning inside the Magic Express, home to the famous Magician Ace Cooper.   
Angela Jacobs had moved to Electro City several years earlier to start her life anew. However, strange circumstances led her to live in the Magic Express with Ace and his friends. Gifted with the Magic Force herself, Angie developed a strong bond of friendship with Ace.   
The pair could sense each other's thoughts and feelings, communicate with each other telepathically, and only in extreme circumstances merge their magical powers to become far stronger.   
Angie's emotional sensitivity made her a true empathic mage, allowing her to feel the power within herself…and at times with others besides Ace.   
She was just about finished with the computer room when she started feeling something within her. "What the—? I can feel…a strong force of energy, coming this way…but how? I can't understand what this is."   
Just then, the owner of the home entered the living room. "Angie, are you all right?"   
She looked at him with some concern. "This is hard to explain, Ace, but…there's some kind of presence getting closer to here. What it is…I don't know. It's getting stronger, though; I can feel it."   
"You have that special sensitivity with your powers, so who knows what it could be?"   
"We'll just have to wait and see. For now, though, I need to finish cleaning up here. We've got a show to rehearse for."   
Just then, a young man with spiky red hair walked in and shouted, "Zelda's got another model coming over from Japan!"   
"Really?" Ace and Angie asked simultaneously.   
"Yeah. Zelda called and told me that a Japanese model named Rumiko Nonaka is on her way here for a special photo shoot on role models. On top of that, Mrs. Nonaka is bringing her mother and her daughter Rika. Hmm, 'Rika' sounds like a nice name."   
"Um, Cosmo," said Ace, suspecting something from his experienced apprentice, "what if Mrs. Nonaka's daughter is just a child?"   
"Aw, come on, dude. Rika could be my age. Besides, Zelda said that Mrs. Nonaka's been a model for 17 years and her inspiration to get into the modeling business."   
Angie smiled. "That was nice of Zelda to invite her role model for a photo shoot. It shows that some celebrities never forget how they got started and who gave them the push to try."   
"Yeah. Hey, Ang, you done with the cleaning?"   
"All finished. Let's get to the Ring and rehearse for that show. I want to make sure I've got my part down. I've been having a little trouble getting the fireballs properly balanced."   
Ace nodded and stated, "Don't worry, Angie. We'll figure out what's been wrong with the fireballs at practice. Now, time to get to work."   
Soon, a beautiful black panther walked in on its four feet.   
Coming up to Ace, Zina made sure he did not forget about her.   
"Oops, I forgot. You're a part of this act as well."   
Everyone went to the garage and boarded into a turbocar, but this was a special car. In the same color scheme as the Magic Express, the car was white on top, blue on the bottom, and had a large letter "M" on both sides. The Magic Racer could easily go through the streets of Electro City, but there were times when Ace would drive like he were in the Indianapolis 500.   
Before too long, the Racer arrived at the Ring Theater, where Ace would be performing later in the week.   
As soon as everyone left the car, Ace immediately put out instructions. "Cosmo, you make sure the lighting's okay. Zina, you come with Angie and me. Angie, let's see if we can figure out what's wrong with the fireball balance."   
"Okay, let's go," said an anxious Angie. "I need to get this right for the show."   
"Don't worry, Angie, you will. Just have some confidence in yourself."   
"All right…thanks."   
Ace, Angie, and Zina went onto the stage to start their practice run.   
To make sure neither lost concentration, they communicated with each other by thought.   
Ace noticed something. _Okay, Angie, it seems your fireballs are a little too big for you. Shrink them down slightly._   
She shrunk the softball-sized fireballs to a more reasonable baseball-sized set. _Hmm, it does feel more comfortable._   
_That's it,_ Ace thought to her. _You just made them too large. Always make the fireballs to your size, which in this case, baseball is fine. When you're ready, then try for the bigger size. You'll need to practice that part, okay?_   
_ I understand. Thanks. Now I'm ready for this part of the act._   
"Zina," Ace yelled, "time for your end of the game, girl."   
The beautiful panther slinked onto the stage, ready to practice her end of the act.   
"As soon as they're in position, you'll go through in one jump. Ready? Go!"   
Zina quickly ran and jumped through both fire loops in the allowed one jump.   
"All right!" Angie shouted happily. "Good going, Zina! You did great! Keep this up and we'll be ready in no time…" Just then, she felt herself faint.   
"Angie!" Ace quickly ran up to his friend before she fell to the ground. "Are you okay?"   
"I will be when I find out what this approaching power is," she responded. "I can't tell if it's good or evil, though. What should I do?"   
"When we finish up here, we'll go home and see just what you're sensing. Sound good to you?"   
"Yeah…it'll work. I just wish I knew what this was." 

A couple of hours later, the plane carrying Rika Nonaka and her family arrived safely at Electro City International Airport.   
When everyone disembarked from the plane, Rika's mother Rumiko wanted to find her model friend Zelda. "Come on, I know she said she would wait for us here."   
"Um, Mom, wouldn't it be easier for us just to wait here at the gate? Maybe she's running a little late."   
Mishara nodded in agreement. "Sure. Traffic here seems to be just as bad as back in Tokyo. I wouldn't be surprised if your friend Zelda is running late. Just relax, Rumiko; we just got here."   
"Very well, Mother," said a displeased Rumiko. "We'll play it your way, but I don't see how this will—"   
She was interrupted by a young woman's voice. "Rumiko!"   
"I don't believe it…Zelda!" Rumiko ran up to her old friend, a young woman with black hair and blue eyes (not related in any way to Ace Cooper). "Zelda LeMond, it's so good to see you again!"   
"It's great to see you, too, Rumiko. And, I see you brought your family, too."   
"Yes. I'd like you to meet my mother Mishara and my daughter Rika."   
Zelda did her customary bow to both of them out of the respect of their culture. "It is an honor to meet you both."   
Rika thought, _Hmm, I thought she was going to pinch my face. Apparently she can tell by the way I look._   
As Rika and her grandmother bowed, Mishara stated, "It is an honor to meet a young model inspired by my own daughter."   
Zelda then came up to shake their hands. "I am honored to meet the family." Shaking Rika's hand, she added, "You are pretty, Rika. I like the broken heart on your shirt."   
Rika was pleasantly surprised by this statement. "Really? You're the first person who does."   
Rumiko looked at her daughter with a funny face. "Young lady, I told you not to wear that shirt on the trip."   
"It's all right, Rumiko," said Zelda. "I think it's better for her to be her own person. Besides, she could start a trend with that broken heart, the angst of today's teenagers."   
_Now that's something I didn't think about,_ Rika thought to herself. _Who would've thought my own style could be the start of something?_   
_ Just imagine what could happen if a yellow fox came along,_ said the other voice. _ I wonder if there's enough yellow in the world._   
_ Nah, some yellow is way too bright, if you know what I mean._   
_ True. Will I be able to come out later on tonight?_   
_ Maybe in a couple of hours. Let me get settled first in our hotel._   
"Now, I'll take you all to the Sinsun Hotel. That's where you'll be staying."   
Zelda took the Nonaka family in the limousine to the huge hotel.   
"Wow," said Rumiko. "I've never seen a hotel that big. The owner must be very rich."   
"Yes, he is," said a not-so-assuring Zelda. _If only they knew the owner was really one of Electro City's two biggest crime bosses._   
Mishara was slightly worried. "Are you all right, Miss LeMond?"   
"Oh, I'm fine, Mrs. Nonaka. I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else, and please, just call me Zelda."   
Rika then spoke. "Okay, Zelda, um, are there any parks around here?"   
"Yes, there are a couple of nice ones near the hotel: Keaton Park downtown and Daedalus Park close to the Magic Express."   
"Magic Express? What's that, a fast-food restaurant?"   
"Oh, no, Rika. The Magic Express is the home of Ace Cooper, the Magician."   
Mishara reacted with joy. "That's one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come," she said excitedly. "I've always wanted to see Ace Cooper perform in person."   
"He and his apprentices are performing this Thursday night at the Ring Theatre. I do have tickets for all of us, if you are interested."   
"I certainly am," said Rumiko. "How about you, Rika?"   
"I don't know…I've never seen this guy before. I don't think he's all that special."   
"Rika, how dare you talk about Ace Cooper like—"   
Zelda stopped her friend. "Wait, Rumiko. It's her choice. She probably doesn't believe in the existence of real magic. It's okay."   
Rika wondered why Zelda was defending her so much instead of her mother. _ I don't understand this. Zelda's on my side?_   
_ She's still young, but old enough to understand you are entitled to your own opinion. However, the truth is, you haven't seen him perform. How about you go along just this once? Who knows, maybe Cooper can change your mind._   
_If you say so._ "Well, I've never seen a magic act anyway, so maybe I'll give it a try."   
"That's more like it, young lady," said Rumiko, adamant about her daughter's attitude and Zelda's surprising defense of her. "I expect all of us to do things together."   
"Rumiko, stop it," said Mishara. "You're embarrassing all of us. Rika and I came here to have fun, not be stuck watching one of your photo shoots. Besides, you remember what Rika did before to the camera. I wouldn't be surprised if she does that again if you try to get her involved in a photo shoot."   
Zelda then came up with an idea. "I know. Rika, would you like to have your own photo shoot, just using that outfit you're wearing?"   
"Really? Are you serious?"   
"Yes. I'm a pretty good photographer myself. Just you and me in a photo shoot in Daedalus Park this weekend. I take photos of you, and you can take some of me being completely casual. What do you say?"   
Rika liked the idea. "Okay, a photo shoot with no fancy cameras or lights? I'll do it, Zelda."   
"Great. We'll work out the plans after Ace's show on Thursday night, and no expensive cameras. I'll buy us both the one-time use cameras. They're a lot more fun."   
Rumiko was not very thrilled about the idea. _Why is Zelda being so defensive about Rika's attitude? I'm going to have a long talk with her about this later._   
The family soon arrived at the Sinsun Hotel, where a woman behind the counter was waiting. "Ah, the Nonaka family. Welcome to the Sinsun Hotel. You will be staying in room 228. I'll have a bellhop take your luggage up there."   
"Thank you very much," said Mishara. "I need a rest anyhow. We had a long flight."   
"Mind if I join you, Grandma?"   
"Of course not, Rika. We'll take our keys now please."   
The woman gave Mishara and Rika their keys.   
"You two go on," said Rumiko. "I want to have a word with Zelda alone."   
The two shrugged and then took the elevator to their appointed room.   
Zelda already knew what was going to happen. "Look, Rumiko, I know why you want to talk to me alone."   
"Why are you allowing Rika to do what she pleases? I would like her to be a model like me."   
"Rumiko, Rika is still a child right now. She has a right to choose her own path, her own destiny. Maybe she _doesn't_ want to be a supermodel like you and me. Your mother did call me about the day Rika pushed the cameraman and the light. I can't say I blame Rika for how she feels."   
"You are _not_ Rika's mother, understand!? _I_ am her mother, and she will do what she is told!"   
"You do know she's still upset over the bitter divorce between you and her father, right? _This_ is why she acts the way she does. When you try to force your hand on her, it's like you want her to forget about her father. You may have physical custody of her, but Rika would like to hear from her father once in a while. I just want to give her some space and a little creative freedom. Did you ever think about that?"   
Rumiko turned away from her longtime friend. "That's just it. She never tells anyone how she feels."   
"Rika's at an age where she won't feel comfortable talking to family about her problems. It's not as uncommon as you think. You just need to give her time and some space. The more you try to force things, the more withdrawn she'll be. I just want Rika to be Rika for now. Let her decide if she wants to be a model."   
"Maybe…you're right. I just wish she would be more open with her feelings."   
"Give her time. When she feels ready, she'll talk to you. Now, how about we get up to the room, okay?"   
"Okay. Thanks, Zelda. You're much younger than I am, yet you understand things far better than I do."   
The pair wrapped on each other's shoulders as they went up the elevator to the room. 

When Ace and his friends returned to the Magic Express, Ace wanted immediately to work with Angie about the strange power she had sensed for the last few hours.   
"Cosmo, I want you to play with Zina for about 10 minutes, okay?"   
"Gotcha, dude. I hope you can find out what she knows."   
"We'll just have to wait and see for now."   
He asked Angie to come into the practice room alone. "It's just you and me now. Can you still feel its presence?"   
"Yes, it's much stronger than it was earlier. I still can't put my finger on it yet."   
"Try to relax. I want you to clear your mind of all thought and just let the feeling come out."   
Angie glowed softly in her light-blue aura and tried to understand the weird feeling. "It's…very blurry. All I can see are swirls and lines…lots of numbers, too. Like 1s and 0s. It's all I can see."   
"1s and 0s?"   
Just then, a holographic dodecahedron with pink and purple lights appeared. "1s and 0s are used in computed binary code," answered the hologram known as Angel.   
"But…that's ancient by today's computer standards. How can that be?"   
"I cannot answer that, Ace. From Angie's description, that is all I can say."   
"Thanks, Angel. How will we ever know what this strange energy is?" 

Rika, with her mother's permission, went with Zelda for a look around Daedalus Park.   
"Wow," said Rika in awe, "this place is beautiful. It's like Shinjuku Park back in Tokyo."   
"I went to Tokyo several years ago. I was looking for Rumiko, but it turned out she had gone to do a shoot in Europe at the time."   
"Yeah, I know. Mom likes to spend a lot of time doing her modeling."   
"Rika, you don't want to be a model, do you?"   
"No, I don't. I just don't feel comfortable being around the fancy cameras and the fancy lights. It's just not who I am. Mom likes to embarrass me a lot. I just want to be plain Rika Nonaka, the Digimon queen."   
"Digimon…oh, the popular card game in Japan, right?"   
"Yeah. I was world champion last year."   
"That's great! You won an award for something not related to modeling. It was what you wanted, right?"   
"Yeah, it's the only thing I really like. I don't want a boyfriend, or be a fashion model, or anything like that. I just want to be a kid for now."   
"It's never easy when you're the child of someone famous," said Zelda sadly. "You just want to have happiness for yourself right now, enjoy life. It's a sad trend when parents push their kids to do their best and yell at them for messing up."   
"How come you can understand all this, Zelda? I mean, you're not that old."   
"When my parents learned I was doing modeling…they kicked me out of the house forever."   
Rika was shocked. "What? Why?"   
"They were pushing me so hard to be a doctor or an engineer. I didn't have that kind of desire, though. It wasn't what I wanted to be in my life. I mean, I plan on attending college when my modeling career is done. This way, I'll have something to fall back on afterward. I know I won't be a model for too long, so the money I earn from this will help me for college, even if I am an older first-year student."   
"Hmm, that makes perfect sense. Have you been able to communicate with your parents?"   
"Not since they kicked me out."   
"Now I see why you can understand."   
As the pair continued to walk through the park, a little device hanging from Rika's belt accidentally fell off and landed on the ground.   
She walked on, not realizing she had dropped her toy.   
"Why don't we get back to the hotel and eat dinner at the restaurant?"   
"Am I going to have to wear a dress?"   
"I'm afraid so. It's a fancy restaurant, but it'll be only this once, I promise."   
"Okay, Zelda. I can live with it one time."   
The pair went back to the limousine and returned to the hotel, Rika still not knowing about her toy. 

Back at the Magic Express, Angie had cooked homemade jambalaya for herself and her friends while Zina received a nice juicy steak.   
"So, how's the jambalaya?" Angie asked.   
"Very good," said Ace with his mouth full. "It's not super spicy like most restaurants."   
Cosmo concurred with the Magician. "Mmm-hmm. This is soooooooo good."   
"Thank you, gentlemen. I'm glad I love to cook."   
As soon as everyone completed their meal, Angie went out for a stroll around Daedalus Park.   
With the sun setting, she knew it would be a beautiful night to walk. Even though Electro City had its share of crime and corruption, this particular park was rather crime-free.   
Angie continued walking when she noticed something reflecting on the ground. She quickly came up to see what the reflection was.   
To her surprise, she noticed an oddly-shaped device: It was oblong in shape, with a blue circle on top, what appeared to be a small LCD screen, and three buttons.   
"Hmm, what's this? Must be the latest toy craze. Guess Professor Lars hit the jackpot again. He's so clever with the toys he makes."   
Angie then touched the object, which set off her telemetric powers in a flare, but not as severe as some she had in the past. "There is…a strange energy within this device."   
Upon closing her eyes, she saw visions about the owner of the unusual item while hearing a young girl's voice.   
_"Renamon, walk all over him…I hate Digimon…She's my friend…Digi-modify!…Matrix Digivolution Activate!"_   
_ "What on Earth?" Angie asked in the mindscape. "What are Digimon? I've never heard of anything like this."_   
_ She then heard a deeper female voice out of nowhere. "What are you doing with Rika's Digivice?"_   
_ Opening her eyes, Angie noticed something too unbelievable to imagine…a yellow fox with a beautiful tail, blue eyes, wearing a pair of purple arm gloves with the yin-yang symbol, and three fingers on each paw. "Huh? What?"_   
_ "I said…what are you doing with Rika's Digivice? It doesn't belong to you."_   
_ "I'm-I'm sorry. I just found this device on the ground. It must belong to this girl Rika you speak of."_   
_ The strange fox looked at Angie carefully but was able to sense the sincerity in the female magician's heart. "I know you speak the truth. I can feel it in your heart. Your intentions are not evil."_   
_ Angie soon was able to feel the fox's heart as well. _How is this possible? I can sense this animal's thoughts and feelings._ "Who are you?"_   
_ "I am Renamon," the fox answered calmly._   
_ "Renamon? I've never heard a name such as that."_   
_ "Well, I have never sensed anyone else besides Rika."_   
_ "Wait…the strange feelings I've been having today…they must be coming from either you or this…Digivice."_   
_ "The Digivice belongs to my tamer Rika Nonaka, who is also my friend."_   
_ "Rika Nonaka, the daughter of famous model Rumiko Nonaka?"_   
_ "Yes. How do you know that?"_   
_ "My friend Cosmo knows Zelda LeMond very well. He told us about Mrs. Nonaka bringing her family. Cosmo seems interested in Rika."_   
_ "He may not want to try to impress her. She's only 13 years old."_   
_ "I see. Then, Cosmo won't be so happy after all." Angie then changed the subject. "You know, this may sound strange, but I can somehow sense your thoughts, even though I'm not a tamer like your friend. My name is Angela Jacobs."_   
_ "Angela Jacobs…what a beautiful name for such a beautiful young woman. Um, Angela, do you have some kind of power within you?"_   
_ "Yes, I have a power called the Magic Force."_   
_ "Which explains how you can sense me. I can tell you are very sensitive towards others. I know…you have incredible magical powers, including the ability to touch objects and see visions."_   
_ "Yes, telemetry. That's how I learned about your friend Rika. You two have been through a lot together."_   
_ "That we have. From mere tamer and partner to best friends."_   
_ "Well, Renamon, I need to get this and you back to your friend. How can I find Rika?"_   
_ "I know she, her mother, and her grandmother are staying I believe at the Sinsun Hotel."_   
_ Angie nodded and smiled. "Do you know which room?"_   
_ "Yes, it's room 228. Rika wanted to take her Digivice with her. Why I'll never know."_   
_ "I do know. To keep her best friend close to her."_   
_ Renamon smiled. "I thank you for finding Rika's Digivice."_   
_ "I need to contact her immediately to let her know her Digivice is safe. But, will she believe me?"_   
_ "She will believe you when you mention my name. Not too many people here know about Digimon. You are the first outside Japan."_   
_ "Thank you, Renamon. I won't talk about this with anyone else, but I could have difficulty hiding this secret from my friend Ace Cooper."_   
_ "Ah, you have a strong rapport with the Magician, do you not?"_   
_ "Yes. We know each other's thoughts and feelings because we both have the Magic Force."_   
_ "I guess your friendship with him has helped you very much."_   
_ Angie nodded. "Yes, it has. It was nice to meet you, Renamon. You are a beautiful fox—um, I mean—"_   
_ "No offense taken, Angela. It was an honor to meet a beautiful young woman gifted with magic. Take care of yourself."_   
As Angie awakened she softly said, "Same with you, Renamon." She placed the Digivice in her pocket and ran to the nearest telephone. After dialing the Sinsun Hotel, she said, "I need to speak with the Nonaka family in room 228 please, particularly Miss Rika Nonaka." 

At the Sinsun Hotel's restaurant, Rika wore a pink dress, much to her disliking. _Man, this is so bogus. I know this is a fancy restaurant, but I don't like wearing this dress. However, Mom is the supermodel and is here in Electro City for the photo shoot. I guess I can handle this for a few days anyway._   
She was also a little upset because of something she accidentally lost. _ I can't believe I misplaced my Digivice. Someone more than likely stole it by now. How am I ever going to find it?_   
Just then, a bellboy came to the restaurant and said, "Paging for Miss Rika Nonaka. Paging for Miss Rika Nonaka."   
Mishara easily heard. "Hmm, Rika, there's a message for you."   
"That's unusual," said Rumiko. "Usually I'm the one getting the messages."   
"I guess…I'd better find out what the message is." Rika then stepped up from the table and walked to the bellboy. "I'm Rika Nonaka."   
"Miss Nonaka, you have a telephone call from a Miss Angela Jacobs. She says it's very important."   
"O-Kay."   
Rika then came up to the telephone in the lobby and said, "Hello, this is Rika Nonaka."   
"Rika? Hi, my name is Angela Jacobs. I found something that I believe belongs to you. I think it's called…a Digivice?"   
The young girl's lilac eyes widened in disbelief. "How would you know about the Digivice?" she whispered in shock.   
"Relax, Rika. That info was courtesy of your own Digimon friend Renamon."   
"You…know about her, too?"   
"Yes, but I need to get this Digivice back to you. I'm going to take a cab to the Sinsun Hotel so I can return it. Can you meet me in the lobby as soon as you can?"   
Rika pleasantly smiled. "Sure. I'm in the lobby right now. Let me just tell my mother and grandmother, and I'll meet you here."   
"Okay, I'll meet you in 10 minutes." Angie then hung up the telephone and immediately called for a cab. "Sally, need ya!"   
Sally, the wildest cab driver in the city, had known Angie for the whole time the female magician had called Electro City home. "What's up, Angie? Where do ya need to go this time?"   
"Head for the Sinsun Hotel, please. I need to return someone's lost property."   
"Sure thing. I'll get you there in no time."   
Sally then revved the engine and immediately took off for the Sinsun Hotel. 


	2. The Magician's First Digimon Confrontati...

Making Digi-Magic   
Part 2: The Magician's First Digimon Confrontation

Rika waited patiently at the lobby of the Sinsun Hotel but was very anxious to get her Digivice back. "I'll be glad it's safe, but how does Miss Jacobs know so much information about Digimon?"   
Sally the cabbie arrived at the door of the hotel. "Here you are, Angie."   
Angie gave her a $20 electro-dollar note and a $10 bonus tip. "A job well done as usual. Thanks, Sally."   
"Call me if ya need me again." She then sped away to continue her work for the evening.   
Angie held the Digivice very close to her so no one else could try to steal it. "Now, I've got to find Rika."   
When she reached the door, however, two very large men tried to block her.   
One with glass eyes named Glare said, "Hey, no friends of Ace Cooper allowed in here. Now get out of here!"   
"You don't understand," Angie said in trying to reason with them. "I'm supposed to meet someone in the lobby. I have something that belongs to her."   
"Nice try," said the other man named Tiny, who was anything but with his huge muscular build. "You're not foolin' us, Jacobs. We know you're up to something. Now leave before we throw you out."   
"You wouldn't try to hurt a lady, now would you?" Angie asked as she started becoming rather upset.   
Rika walked around the lobby when she heard all the commotion near the door. She came up to the door. "Um, excuse me, but what's going on here?"   
Tiny turned to her and said, "None of your business, little girl."   
"Little girl!?" Rika shouted angrily. "I'll have you know I was last year's Digimon Game World Champion! My name is Rika Nonaka!"   
"Rika?" said Angie.   
Rika realized who the woman was. "You must be Angela Jacobs, right?"   
"Yes, I am."   
"I've been waiting for you here in the lobby, but since these two idiots won't let you in, I guess I'll just have to come out."   
"Sorry, little girl," said Tiny, "but no guests are allowed to leave the hotel."   
Up in the security central control room, Sonny Boy Surge, the wealthy owner of the Sinsun Hotel who also happened to be the son of prominent scientist Professor Jonathan Surge and himself a clever crime boss, noticed the commotion at the front door. He soon understood what was going on. "I think the little girl and Jacobs planned on meeting each other." He then spoke to Tiny and Glare through their wristwatch radios. "Boys, let Jacobs in."   
"But…boss," said Glare, "Jacobs works for Cooper."   
"I don't care! Let her in! I know Jacobs wouldn't come without a good reason. Now let her in or I'll have youse both fired immediately, got it!?"   
"Yes, sir," they both said at the same time.   
Rika then made a sarcastic remark. "I guess the man who owns this hotel knows a lot better than the two of you."   
Angie then walked into the hotel and shook Rika's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Rika."   
"The feeling is…mutual, Miss Jacobs."   
"Please," the female magician blushed. "Just call me Angie. All my friends do."   
"Anyway, you said you found my…device, right?"   
"Yes, I did. I found it at Daedalus Park."   
"That's where I was with Zelda earlier today. Must've fallen off my belt."   
"I actually thought this was one of Professor Lars's prototypes for a new line of toys."   
"No problem." Rika then became very serious. "Um, Angie, I need to talk to you about—"   
"Just what I know so far, right?"   
"Yes, but first I need to get away from Mom and Grandma. I really hate being in this dress."   
"I have an idea. Since I'm already here, how about I meet your family? Save a little bit of trouble?"   
Rika liked the plan. "Okay, come on."   
As the two women came to the restaurant entrance, Rika said, "Sir, please add one more guest to the Nonaka table, please."   
"Of course, Madam. Miss Jacobs, you may enter."   
Angie smiled. "Thank you, sir."   
Searching for the Nonaka table, Rika asked, "How did he know who you were?"   
_Rika,_ said Renamon's voice in her mind, _that's Angela Jacobs, the training magician Terriermon mentioned before._   
_ Are you serious!? I figured her to be a snobby celebrity, not a…wholesome individual._   
_ Not all celebrities are rich and snobby. Angela takes her celebrity status in stride and tries to be herself when she isn't performing._   
Angie could hear Renamon's thoughts but knew she was communicating with Rika, so she opted not to listen in.   
When the twosome approached the table, Rika said, "Mom, Grandma, do you mind if we have another guest at the table?"   
"Another guest?" Rumiko asked curiously.   
"Yeah, this person, Angela Jacobs."   
Mishara reacted with some excitement. "I don't believe it…the female apprentice to Ace Cooper, the Magician!"   
"Angie, my mother Rumiko and my grandmother Mishara."   
Out of respect of the Japanese culture, Angie bowed before them. "An honor to meet you both."   
Rumiko was pleasantly surprised. "_You_ are the apprentice to Ace Cooper?"   
"Well, I'm not the only one. There's his other and far more experienced apprentice Cosmo. He's been with Ace a lot longer than I have. I've been with them for about 3 ½ years now, but Cosmo's been with Ace for at least seven years."   
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that…I'm surprised someone so young could be a part of it. Where are your parents?"   
Mishara interrupted, "Rumiko, that's not polite. Miss Jacobs is about 25 or 26 years old. It doesn't matter about her parents."   
"They're…gone," said Angie as she lowered her head. "They've been gone for about 9 years now."   
"Um, Grandma, can I talk to Angie, alone?"   
Mishara figured it could be for the best. "Sure, Rika, go ahead."   
"No," interjected Rumiko. "You're not leaving my sight for a moment."   
"Look, Mom, you've done enough damage as it is! First I have to wear this ridiculous dress, and then you treat Angie like she's still a teenager herself! Just forget it!" Rika then patted Angie's shoulder. "Come on, Angie. We'll talk…alone."   
Rumiko was about to stand up and say something when Mishara grabbed her hand. "No. You're not going to create a scene. Just let her be right now. That was really rude, thinking that Miss Jacobs was just a teenager."   
"Well…how was I supposed to know she was older?"   
"Try judging someone by looking on the inside, not always on the surface."   
Rika took Angie up to room 228, where they could talk by themselves.   
"Angie, I'm sorry about my mother. She had no right to treat you that way."   
"I…don't want to be the super snob celebrity," said the female magician trying to fight tears. "Mom and Dad always raised me to be a good person, no matter my status in life."   
"What happened to your parents?"   
"They were killed in a road-rage accident less than four weeks before I graduated from high school."   
Just then, the golden fox that appeared in Angie's mind earlier suddenly appeared in the room. "Angela?"   
She looked up and was very surprised. "Renamon? You're here?"   
"Yes. I'm so sorry about your parents." The yellow fox then came up and gave her a consoling hug. "It must have been hard for you all these years."   
"It…was," Angie tearfully stated. "I've kept their spirit alive in me. I could never forget their love."   
"I understand. Rika hasn't exactly had it that simple either."   
"Nope," the young tamer concurred. "My parents are divorced. I do hear from Dad once in a while, but not as often as I like. It's almost like Mom wants me to forget all about him. I just want to be a normal teenager, just plain ordinary Rika Nonaka instead of 'the daughter of fashion model Rumiko Nonaka.' At least I established a name for myself last year."   
"Yeah, you yelled out that you were last year's Digimon Game Champion. I've never heard of it. I guess Digimon here is like soccer."   
"Sure, the most popular sport in all the world…but here."   
All three ladies chuckled at Rika's remark.   
"True, Rika," stated Renamon. "Very true."   
"Angie, um, just how did you know about Digimon?"   
The female magician took the Digivice out of her right pocket. "I was able to see visions when I touched your Digivice. That's how I was able to meet Renamon."   
"I found her in the mindscape. I thought she was trying to steal your Digivice, but I could somehow sense her sincere heart."   
"You mean…her magic is…_real_?" asked a shocked Rika.   
Angie made the Digivice float away from her hand and into Rika's hand. "Yes…I do have real magic. I've been learning to master my powers thanks to the one person who can understand this better than anyone…Ace Cooper himself."   
"No wonder my grandmother wants to see Ace Cooper perform," Rika stated in awe. "She really believes in magic. I'm still a little skeptical, though."   
"It's okay, Rika. I don't expect everyone to believe in the existence of real magic, and neither does Ace."   
Renamon admired the young woman's spirit. "Angela, how is it you can be so humble despite your celebrity status here?"   
"If there's one thing I'll never do in my lifetime, it's forget where I came from. My parents weren't exactly the wealthiest in the world, but their unconditional love was worth far more than all the fame and fortune in the world. I know their love is still with me spiritually."   
Just then, a beeping sound was heard in the room.   
Rika was first to react by checking her Digivice. "It's not mine."   
"Then it must be my watch," said Angie, realizing she was late coming home. She then spoke into her watch. "Yes?"   
"Angie, it's Ace. Where are you?"   
"At the Sinsun Hotel. I found something in the park and had to return it to the owner."   
"Okay. You had us worried for a while."   
"Sorry, Ace, didn't mean to do that. I'll see you back at the Magic in about 20."   
"Right. See you at home." The radio communication ended there.   
"I wish I didn't have to call Sally again, but—"   
Rika and Renamon looked at each other.   
Then, Renamon smiled at the female magician. "Angela, you won't have to take a cab home. I could drop you off."   
"But, you can't carry me on two legs, Renamon. That would be too much for you."   
"Not if I digivolve."   
"Digi…volve?"   
Rika walked to the nightstand and took a card from an unusual deck in her belt. "It's something Renamon can do. She could get you back to where you belong quickly. We can't do it from in this room, though."   
"Right. That would cause a lot of damage. I'll hold on to you, and we'll land on the ground together. I'll digivolve then."   
Angie was slightly confused but opted to try their plan. "Okay, if you say so."   
Renamon carried Angie and said, "Hang on tight and don't let go." She then jumped three from the three-story window with Angie safe in her arms. Landing safely, Renamon said, "That's it for the first part. Okay, Rika, your turn!"   
"You got it, Renamon!" Rika then took the card, spun it around, and caught it between her thumb and forefinger. She then crossed her arms, card in right hand and Digivice in left hand. As she slashed the card through the side of her Digivice, she screamed, **_"Digi-modify!"_** When she finished the process, she shouted out, **_"Digivolution activate!"_**   
Angie watched Renamon undergo an incredible metamorphosis right before her very eyes!   
**_"Renamon digivolve to…"_** The fox instantaneously transformed into a four-pawed, eight-tailed creature closely resembling a horse, but she had red-and-white-striped ribbons and the yin-yang symbol on her forehead. **_"…Kyubimon!"_**   
The female magician said, "Oh…my…goodness!" Her eyes widened in absolute disbelief. "You…can do _that_?"   
"That's right. Now, hop on my back, and I'll get you to where you need to go."   
"Thanks for the lift, Kyubimon. I'll give you the directions."   
In less than 10 minutes, the digivolved being got Angie back to the tunnel which lead to the Magic Express.   
"You'd better stop here, Kyubimon. Angel could pick you up on her sensors and think you're an intruder."   
"Angel? Who's Angel?"   
"The supercomputer system that keeps the Magic Express in order. I'm the only person here who's seen you, and I'm worried how the others would react."   
Kyubimon nodded. "I understand, Angela."   
"Please, Kyubimon, Angie's enough for me. Now, um, how will you get back to the hotel without anyone spotting you?"   
"Speed's my best attribute. I can make it without being seen. What about your friends, though?"   
"It may be best not to say anything about you for now. Like I said before, though, keeping this from Ace will not be easy. The bond between us is that strong."   
"I understand. Good luck to you, Angie. I hope we'll meet face-to-face again." She then disappeared into the night.   
"So do I, Renamon…so do I." She then walked through the tunnel and made her way to the front door of the Magic Express.   
As she arrived at the front door, a different female voice was heard. "Please identify yourself."   
Angie put her hand on the handprint pad and announced herself. "Angela Jacobs."   
"Welcome back, Angie."   
"Thanks, Angel."   
The moment she entered and walked into the living room, she noticed Ace, Cosmo, and Zina trying to fake their sleep. "Okay, drop the act, guys. It's only 9:00."   
The gentlemen woke up laughing while Zina slithered her way to Angie's legs.   
"Sorry, Ang," said Cosmo. "We were gonna keep it up until you got home 10 minutes later. How'd you get back here from the Sinsun so fast?"   
Angie did the best she could to cover up how she _really_ returned very quickly. "Someone was nice enough to give me a lift."   
Ace had a suspicious feeling about her movements in the past hour, but he decided to wait until everyone was asleep to speak to her telepathically.   
Later in the night, Ace could not stop thinking about what Angie had done but would not tell. _Angie…Angie…_   
In her room, she was sleeping soundly until she heard Ace's voice in her mind. _Ace?_   
_ I know you're hiding something from me. Please, you don't have to be afraid._   
_ I don't know if I can explain that hour. I'm scared you won't believe me._   
_ Hmm, perhaps you need a little time to figure out what you want to say? he thought to her calmly._   
_ You…don't mind this?_   
_ Of course not. Sometimes the truth may be harder to tell than a lie. I know you're trying not to lie, but you're having trouble telling the truth. Just let me know when you're ready, okay?_   
_ Thanks, Ace. I'll talk to Mom and Dad in the morning. Good night, Ace._   
_ Sweet dreams, Angie._   
The two magicians slept comfortably for the remainder of the night. 

Back at the Sinsun Hotel, Rumiko grew very suspicious of her daughter's activities.   
While Rika slept soundly, Rumiko had a serious discussion with her mother. "Mother, I don't know why Rika won't listen to me. She just runs off doing who knows what while we sit here. And _you_ defend all her actions instead of reprimanding her."   
Mishara crossed her arms. "That's because I know Rika's at the point in her life where angst is easy to come by. After all, weren't _you_ like that when I was raising you?"   
"That's different!"   
"No, it's not! I have always believed that a child should pursue her own dreams and her own ambitions. Rika's sick and tired of being in your shadow. I'm almost grateful she took part in that Digimon tournament so she _could_ establish a name for herself. I guess Rika had no problems speaking with Angie because she felt she could open herself a little to—"   
"A total stranger!?"   
"Angela Jacobs has a reputation of being open-minded and open-hearted. If someone needs help, Angie will not hesitate to lend a hand. Now you and I both know about her Digimon friend Renamon, but I wouldn't be surprised if Angie now knows, too."   
"No…if anyone found out about the Digimon here…"   
Renamon appeared in front of them. "Relax, Mrs. Nonaka. Angela does know of me, but she has not told anyone. She isn't sure if she should tell her closest friends."   
"Rika brought that…thing, didn't she? I told her not to!"   
"Mrs. Nonaka, Rika figured she would be completely bored about the photo shoot, but then, Angela and Zelda have made her stay more pleasant because they are giving her a chance to be herself, not something she doesn't want to be."   
"Just go away, Renamon! The whole photo shoot is in jeopardy because of her bringing that device here!"   
Renamon bowed in front of her. "Very well, Mrs. Nonaka." She then vanished completely.   
Mishara looked at her daughter angrily. "Rumiko, when are you ever going to stop thinking about what you want for Rika and start thinking about what _Rika_ wants for _herself_?" She then went back to her part of the room. "I'm going to sleep. Good night."   
Rumiko was not very pleased with what had happened as she went to bed. _There's going to be nothing but trouble here with Renamon's presence. Next thing you know there's going to be a Digimon somewhere here in Electro City._

At about 4 a.m., something strange started to happen at Daedalus Park. A mysterious cloud appeared right in the middle of the park, suddenly creating an area of brightness.   
Rika slept soundly until she heard Renamon's voice in her mind. _Rika…a Digimon is here in Electro City._   
Her Digivice also went off with a bright red light. "Wha…? What's going on at this hour?" She grabbed her Digivice and noticed the compass tracker. "Seems to be in the direction of…Daedalus Park." _Renamon, meet me on the ground ASAP._   
_ I will catch you, Rika._   
The teenager quickly got into her regular outfit and placed a stuffed pillow at the top to fool her relatives. She then opened the window and jumped from three stories!   
However, Renamon quickly appeared and caught the girl before she could seriously get hurt. "Are you ready, Rika?"   
"Yeah. It's showtime."   
The tamer and her Digimon partner ran off for Daedalus Park to confront the situation. 

Meanwhile, Angie slept soundly until she started having a strong feeling. She awakened with a jolt. "Something's going on…at Daedalus Park. I can feel it very strongly. Maybe I should tell Ace, but then I don't know if he'll believe me. I need to see for myself first before I say anything."   
Angie sneaked from her room to the garage to reach Ace's turbocycle, the Magic Bike. Putting the helmet on, she softly said, "Angel, open the door please, and try to keep it quiet."   
"Very well, Angie, but Ace will not be pleased."   
"This is why I need to do it. How else can I explain to Ace about last night?"   
"Wait, my sensors are picking up a strange electrical anomaly."   
"What's the location?" asked Angie frantically.   
"Daedalus Park."   
"That confirms this feeling I've got. Angel, open the door right now. I think I know what's going on."   
Angie revved the engine on the turbocycle and quickly exited from the Magic Express to get to Daedalus Park.   
Ace, in the meantime, sensed something was wrong with Angie, so he ran to her room to check on her. "Angie, are you all right?" He turned the light on and went into shock. "Angie!? Where are you?" He then tried to find her telepathically through their bond. _Angie, where are you going?_   
_ I have to get to Daedalus Park. I've a feeling something weird's going on around here. Besides, this may be the only way I can explain my situation to you._   
_ But, why are you going alone? It may be too dangerous for you._   
_ Please, Ace, for now just trust me._   
_ All right, but you know I'll be worried about you. If you get into danger—_   
_ I know, I know. Don't worry about me._   
_ Please…be careful._   
Just then, Angel appeared in the form of a holographic dodecahedron. "Ace, a strange disturbance is occurring in Daedalus Park as we speak. Angie is going to investigate."   
"I just hope she'll be all right." 

Rika and Renamon arrived quickly at the park and ran right into the mysterious fog.   
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Rika. "It's a digital field, here in Electro City!"   
"Looks as though I'll have action around here after all," said Renamon, ready to tackle anything at this point.   
Just then, a mysterious woman appeared. She was very ugly, pale-skinned with deathly pale white hair, and looked like a reject from a heavy-metal music video. She had chains all around her, wore seemingly badly-stitched black leather which included a frightening mask, displayed a skull on her right side, had black wings, and had a miniature monster extend from her left side. She also had scary red eyes on her face, her leg, the extension, and both feet while her left hand was far longer and more dangerous than her right hand.   
Rika took out her Digivice, which soon showed an image of the woman along with what proved to be very useful information. "Let's see…LadyDevimon, an ultimate virus-type Digimon. Her special attack is Darkness Wave. We may have our hands full on this one, Renamon."   
"You could be right. Time for me to digivolve!"   
Rika slashed her card through her Digivice. **_"Digi-modify! Digivolution activate!"_**   
The golden fox felt herself changing again. **_"Renamon digivolve to…Kyubimon!"_**   
The strange woman just scoffed at them. "My goodness, I'm going to be challenged by a mere champion level and a little girl? This should be a piece of cake! I'll absorb your data in no time!"   
"I wouldn't bet on that," said an angry Kyubimon. "For an ultimate, you look more like a champion."   
"You'll pay for that remark, Digimon!" Spinning around and putting her left arm up, LadyDevimon shouted, **_"Darkness Wave!"_**   
Suddenly, a series of deadly bats made their way toward Kyubimon and Rika.   
At almost the same time, Angie stopped in front of Daedalus Park and quickly ran into the digital field. "The feeling is strongest right here, but what's going on? It's only about four in the morning, yet it looks like noon right here."   
Kyubimon was ready to defend her tamer and friend. The far ends of her eight tails then started glowing as they spread out at equal distances. "Try this on for size…**_Foxtail Inferno!_**" Eight sets of small flames shot away from the tails as they started wiping out bats one row at a time. "Is that all you got, LadyDevimon?"   
"Not a chance, pathetic excuse!"   
Angie heard all the commotion not too far away. "I know that was Kyubimon's voice. I'd better see if she needs some help!"   
When she came up to a point where everything was visible, she saw Kyubimon and Rika, but then she noticed the larger and more dangerous Digimon. "What in heaven's name is…_that_?"   
Rika was suddenly caught off-guard by Angie's appearance. "Angie, what are you doing here? It's way too dangerous!"   
"Rika's right, Angie!" shouted Kyubimon. "You must get out of here!"   
**_"Darkness Wave!"_** Another series of bats suddenly attacked the pair, and one of the bats actually knocked the Digivice from Rika's hand!   
"My Digivice!" Rika shouted as she and Kyubimon fell to the ground.   
"Kyubimon, Rika…**_NOOOOOOOOO!_**" Angie shouted angrily. She then faced the evil Digimon. "You're going to pay for hurting my friends!" Glowing brightly in her light-blue aura, she went into a spin and shouted, **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!"_** In a matter of seconds, the clothing Angie had worn had suddenly transformed into a unique costume with a dark cape and a dark-grey costume with miniskirt, along with red tights, black boots with yellow trim, and a yellow belt with a black-and-red buckle. Using her left hand, she made a red half-face and yellow eye appear on her right side.   
LadyDevimon was surprised by what she had just seen. "Well, well. A small human who can digivolve herself. How interesting."   
Angie looked angrily at her newfound enemy. "I don't…whatever it's called. I only use this when it's necessary, and I'm not going to let you get away with what you've done!"   
"Oooh, I'm so scared," mocked LadyDevimon, not realizing just how powerful a magician Angie really was, especially when she was angered. "Give me your best shot, little girl."   
"You asked for it!" Angie concentrated her power into the palms of her hands, creating a large ball of light. She then threw it while shouting, "Take this!"   
LadyDevimon just stood there, thinking this was not going to do any damage. When the ball hit her, however, she fell backwards and landed on her knees. "This cannot be possible! I cannot be defeated by a mere human!" She then got back to her feet and tried her attack on Angie herself!   
"Lady, you'll have to do better than that! **_Let my heart guide my power!_**" Extending her arms to the sides, Angie quickly created a safety barrier of light around herself to deflect LadyDevimon's attack.   
Kyubimon, despite her slightly weakened condition, saw everything. _Angie's magic is truly powerful, especially when her emotions become involved. She actually got LadyDevimon down to her knees._   
Angie then noticed the Digivice right next to her foot. "Hmm, I wonder if I can do something with this."   
Picking up the Digivice, Angie saw the most important vision yet: a card that had the words "card game" on the back. She then magically made a card appear in her right hand. Looking at it, though, it was all in Japanese. "Great. How do I tell what this is?"   
She then closed her eyes to concentrate. "Wait…I may not be able to read this card, but I can feel its energy. This feels like…a hyperspeed card!"   
Rika realized about Angie's magical powers. She then yelled, "Angie, listen to me! Slash the card down and then up on the Digivice!"   
"Are you sure?"   
"Yes! Just do it!"   
Angie used her telemetric powers to see what Rika did in her card-slashing method. Then, she magically made the card and Digivice float in front of her.   
She had to drop her shield, though, giving LadyDevimon a chance to attack her again. "You'll pay for that, little one!"   
Angie noticed the Digimon ready to attack her and quickly got the card through the Digivice. "I believe the word used is…**_digi-modify!_**" When the card came back to her hand, she shouted out, **_"Hyperspeed activate!"_**   
At that same moment, LadyDevimon shouted, **_"Darkness Wave!"_**   
Kyubimon felt herself getting stronger and quickly got on all four feet. She started running towards LadyDevimon at full speed.   
Angie tried to pass the Digivice and card back to Rika when Rika suddenly screamed, "Angie, watch out!"   
The female magician looked and saw too late the bats coming at her. When they struck, she fell hard to the ground.   
At the Magic Express, Ace sat quietly in Angie's room when he felt her horrific pain. **_"Ahhhhh!"_**   
Cosmo heard the scream and went to where Ace was. "Dude, what's goin' on? Where's Angie?"   
"She's in serious trouble at Daedalus Park. We've got to move!"   
Ace, Cosmo, and Zina all quickly ran to the garage and went into the Magic Racer to reach Angie before it was too late for her.   
At the park, Rika ran up to Angie to see if she were all right while Kyubimon continued her attack. The Digimon started spinning like a wheel and shouted, **_"Dragon Wheel!"_** Kyubimon quickly became a pure blue flame with the face of a dragon coming forward.   
The flame soon made a direct hit on LadyDevimon. "No! I can't believe I lost to just a champion-level Digimon!" That was LadyDevimon's last sentence before she completely disappeared.   
Rika was very worried about Angie's life. "Angie, Angie! C'mon, wake up, Angie!"   
Kyubimon de-digivolved back into Renamon and ran up to the unconscious magician. "Angie…she was willing to risk her own life to protect us. She was not going to allow us to get hurt."   
The mysterious cloud disappeared, causing the darkness of night to return to the area.   
Just then, Renamon heard sirens. "We must leave. The authorities will wonder what has happened here."   
"What about Angie, though?"   
Renamon closed her eyes. "Angie is alive, just unconscious. I can feel her heart beating. Let me carry her. We need to go now."   
Rika then picked up her Digivice and ran with Renamon, carrying Angie in her arms out of the sight of the approaching police cars.   
The first car to arrive was a relic from the late 20th century, spruced up to meet with the 21st century methods. Out of that car came Lieutenant Derek Vega from the Electro City Police Department. He immediately cordoned off the entire area in the park. "Something happened here, but what was it?"   
He then heard the sound of a rather loud engine. "It's Ace. I'd know that sound anywhere."   
Ace, Cosmo, and Zina soon arrived at Daedalus Park and noticed the situation.   
"Vega," said Ace, "have you seen Angie?"   
"No, I haven't. Friedrichs wanted me to check out a report of a strange light seen here at Daedalus Park, but I don't see anything now. I think someone was trying to shoot a movie here without a permit."   
Ace shook his head. "No, Derek. Something _did_ happen out here. Angel reported a strange electrical disturbance right here at the park. Whatever happened…Angie _was_ involved."   
"Then, where is she?"   
"I'm tracking her telepathically now, but her energy is still strong. She must be very close."   
Meanwhile, Rika and Renamon, still carrying Angie, had to stop at a nearby alley.   
"Whew," said Rika in relief. "That was too close. But…now what do we do?"   
Renamon shook her head. "I'm not sure. We have to get Angie somewhere safe."   
_Renamon…_   
"Angie?"   
Rika looked at her Digimon friend. "Huh? I don't understand. I didn't hear her say anything."   
"You don't have to. I can hear Angie's thoughts." _What do you need, Angie?_   
_ Please…take me home._   
_ Where is your home?_   
_ Tunnel…go through the tunnel._   
"The tunnel…of course! The tunnel that leads to the Magic Express. I know where it is."   
"You do?" asked a curious Rika.   
"Yes. I took her up to the tunnel just hours ago."   
"Then let's move!"   
In a matter of minutes, Rika, Renamon, and Angie went through the tunnel.   
Rika was in awe. "Holy cow! _This_ is the Magic Express?"   
"Yes. We need to get her inside, quickly."   
Angie was still very weak but opened her eyes to see if she were at the front door. "I'll…get this part, Renamon. Put my hand to the handprint plate."   
The Digimon helped her with that task.   
"Please identify yourself," said the female voice of Angel.   
"Angela…Jacobs. And I have…two friends here with me."   
"Please enter."   
When the front door opened, Renamon carried Angie into the living room where she could rest. "There, she should be all right now."   
"I hope so," said a worried Rika.   
The dodecahedral hologram soon appeared in front of Rika. "Hello."   
Rika jumped in slight fear. "What is that?"   
"Wait," said Renamon. "I think this is Angel. Am I right?"   
"Yes. I am Angel, central computer system for the Magic Express."   
Rika calmed herself down. "I've never seen anything like this."   
Suddenly, Ace, Cosmo, and Zina entered the living room and saw Rika and Renamon.   
Zina growled angrily while Cosmo shouted, "We've got intruders!"   
Renamon tried to quell the situation. "No, wait, we didn't—"   
Ace went into a spin and glowed in violet while screaming, **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!"_** He soon emerged in a very similar costume to Angie's, the only exception being a complete dark-grey bodysuit. "What have you done to her!? I'm going to make you tell—"   
_ No, Ace, stop!_ Angie screamed in thought. _Please…don't hurt them. They saved my life._   
Ace suddenly calmed himself. "Angie…I believe you." He then walked up and kneeled down to her.   
Rika became more confused. "There it goes again, her not saying anything."   
"Rika," said Renamon, "remember that little rumor Terriermon mentioned about a bond?"   
"Yeah, I—no. You mean it's _true_?"   
"Yes. They share the power of the Magic Force, bonding them in mind, heart, soul, and spirit."   
Ace then put both his hands on the temples of Angie's head. _Angie, please show me what happened to you._   
She sent the images of the battle into Ace's mind, showing him everything that happened, including Rika and Renamon taking her home after she got hurt.   
After seeing enough, he stood up and looked at the girl and her friend. "Please…accept my apologies for almost attacking you with practically no reason. I didn't know you helped her."   
"Actually, sir," said Renamon, "_she_ came to help _us_. She saw us fighting LadyDevimon in the digital field. When we both went down, Angie fought valiantly against her. Unfortunately, LadyDevimon's Darkness Wave got to her before she could set up a barrier to shield herself."   
"LadyDevi-who?" Cosmo asked angrily. "C'mon, you expect us to believe that garbage?"   
Zina then came up to Renamon, who opened her left paw. Zina was satisfied and started licking the paw.   
"There's your answer, Cosmo," said Ace. "Besides, if they _were_ intruders, would Angel have allowed them access to the Magic?"   
"No, but I still don't trust 'em."   
"You don't, but I do." He then looked at them. "I guess that monstrous lady I saw in Angie's mind was LadyDevimon. In any case, I want to thank you both for getting her back here safely."   
Renamon spoke, "It was the least we could do, after she came to our aid."   
"Yeah, right," said Cosmo. "And why don't you take off that stupid costume, lady? I'm almost certain that's Faceless in that thing!"   
"You'd better watch it, buddy boy," said Rika angrily. "She's not wearing a costume! This is who she is!"   
"And just who are you supposed to be, her accomplice?"   
"The name is Rika…Rika Nonaka."   
"_You?_ You're the daughter of Rumiko Nonaka? You couldn't be, not with _that_ attitude of yours."   
"Wanna try me, spike-head?"   
"Stop it!" yelled Renamon. "We have something more important to deal with, like making sure Angie is all right."   
"Yeah," said Cosmo, "and we can do it _without_ help from the likes of you!"   
"That's enough, Cosmo," Ace said sternly.   
"Dude, you're not buying this story, are ya? I mean, that…thing can't be real!"   
"That 'thing,'" said Rika, "is called a Digimon, and her name is Renamon."   
"Digimon?" asked Ace. "I have heard of something called Digimon, but very vaguely."   
Angel then appeared in front of Ace. "The card game _Digimon_ is highly popular in Japan but has not really attracted much attention here in the United States. Miss Nonaka was last year's world tournament champion in Tokyo."   
"I see. Well, since I'm the only one who hasn't made introductions, I may as well. I'm Ace Cooper, and this is Cosmo."   
Cosmo was completely dismayed by Ace's actions. "I don't believe this! If you're gonna believe this pair of criminals, I am outta here!" He then stormed out of the Magic Express.   
Renamon was a little concerned. "Will your friend be all right?"   
"Yes, he'll be fine," said Ace sadly. "He just needs time to cool off. He's never seen anything like you…and neither have I for that matter. The last time I had to deal with some dangerous data was _Raptor XII_." Seeing that Angie was still resting and recovering, he suggested, "Let's go to my practice and training room and talk there."   
Ace, Zina, Rika, and Renamon left Angie in the living room to recuperate herself. 

Back at the Sinsun Hotel, Rumiko and Mishara awakened at the rising sun.   
"Ah," said Rumiko, "the fresh air of the morning. It's wonderful. Don't you think so, Rika?" When her daughter failed to answer, she ran to her bed and pulled on the sheets. "Oh, no, she's gone!"   
Mishara was surprised. "She's not here?"   
"No, and I know for a fact that Renamon's the cause of this. If Rika hadn't taken that Digivice with her, this would have been a peaceful trip and an easy photo shoot! Now I have to find her before she gets hurt!" 


	3. An Issue of Trust

Making Digi-Magic   
Part 3: An Issue of Trust

Rumiko Nonaka and her mother Mishara discovered their relative Rika had disappeared from their room at the Sinsun Hotel and frantically left the room to locate the missing teenager.   
Mishara took the situation relatively calmer than her daughter, as she knew her granddaughter was just being her rebellious self. _I wish Rumiko would let Rika be. It was hard enough she didn't accept her decision to enter the Digimon Game world tournament. Rika had to get _my_ permission to enter it the past two years. Rika, wherever you are, I hope you're all right._   
Rumiko quickly went to the front desk to see the clerk. "Excuse me, Miss, but have you seen my daughter Rika? She's disappeared from our room."   
The clerk tried to be as polite as possible. "Calm down, Mrs. Nonaka. I can understand you're worried, but panic won't help find your daughter. Now, no guest is ever allowed to leave the hotel between midnight and 6 a.m.—owner's rules. Perhaps she was hungry and came down to the all-night buffet. Why don't you check there first?"   
Mishara calmly said, "Thank you, Miss. If she isn't there, we'll come back here immediately."   
They went to the buffet area to see if she had somehow fallen asleep there. Sadly, they had checked the area twice to no avail. Rika was not there.   
They quickly came back to the front desk, with Mishara taking over the speaking. "We didn't find her there. She must've found a way to sneak out of the hotel."   
"It would be very difficult to do so, but considering she is a teenager, she probably snuck out through the window."   
"I knew it, I knew it!" Rumiko shouted. "It's all on account of that friend of hers! When we find her, I'll—"   
Zelda then entered the hotel. "What's going on? What's happened?"   
"It's Rika. She's not in the room! She snuck out somewhere in the middle of the night."   
"Whoa, hold it, Rumiko. You need to calm down. We'll find her. Let's get up to your room for now. I do have plenty of contacts here in Electro City I can call to check if anyone has seen Rika. We can't declare her as missing because it hasn't been 24 hours."   
"What!?"   
"That's the law here, Mrs. Nonaka," said the clerk. "Unless someone's been abducted, a person cannot be declared missing until 24 hours have passed."   
"That's not what I need right now!"   
Zelda took Rumiko's hand. "Miss, we appreciate all the help you can give us. You're only doing your job as best you can. I'll take Mrs. Nonaka back to her room and start making some calls. Charge them all to me, Zelda LeMond."   
The clerk nodded in agreement. "Okay, and I hope you can find Rika all right."   
The three ladies went back to room 228 where Zelda started contacting everyone she knew in the city. 

Back at the Magic Express, Angie rested comfortably on the sofa in the living room while Ace and Zina had invited Rika and Renamon to join them in the practice room for a conversation.   
Rika shook her head in awe. "This room is amazing. I guess this is where you and your friends practice the tricks you plan to use in upcoming shows, right?"   
"Yes, it is," said Ace. "Oh, excuse me while I get out of my costume." He enveloped himself in the cape and spun around, changing his clothing into his standard everyday outfit, consisting of a dark sports jacket, white shirt, dark slacks with a yellow stripe down each side and black shoes. "I'm sorry if I frightened either of you in any way."   
"That is quite all right, Mr. Cooper," Renamon stated. "You were only protecting your friend Angie." She then noticed Zina coming up to her hand. "It seems your panther has taken a liking to me."   
"It sure looks that way. Zina would normally defend the Magic Express against intruders. However, you both did bring Angie home safely, and I appreciate that…very much."   
Rika was curious. "Angie must be special to you."   
"She is, but not in the way you think. Angie's a sister to both Cosmo and me. Ever since she joined us more than three years ago, she's always looked out for us. When she came along, I had no idea just how special Angie really was." He explained about the mysterious psychic bond the two shared very closely. "We were able to communicate with each other telepathically for over 15 years…without ever meeting face-to-face."   
"That's amazing," said a very surprised Renamon. "The bond you and Angie share must be very strong."   
"You're right. We're aware of each other's thoughts and feelings." He closed his eyes to mentally check on Angie. "She's still asleep. Her breathing is getting back to normal, though, so that's good." Opening his eyes again, Ace became interested in the situation. "Just what led to all this anyway, her meeting you, fighting a Digimon and all?"   
"It kinda started with me," said Rika with slight embarrassment. "I dropped my Digivice on the ground." She then took it off her belt and gave it to Ace.   
Examining it closely, he said, "If this went unfound, this could have easily been mistaken for a new toy Professor Lars was inventing. Where did you lose it, Rika?"   
"In Daedalus Park yesterday afternoon. Angie found it a couple of hours later in the exact same spot."   
"Of course. Angie's telemetric powers must have shown her you were the rightful owner of this device."   
"Tele-what?"   
"Telemetric powers, Rika," Renamon noted. "Angie has the power to touch an object and see the history of its owner. In the case of the Digivice, when she touched it, she saw visions of us together as a team. That's when I found her in the mindscape. At first I thought she was trying to steal it, but I was able to sense her kind and sincere heart. I knew she only wanted to get the Digivice back to you as quickly as possible."   
"That is Angie…the empathic mage she's always been." Ace then handed the Digivice to Rika once more.   
Rika, slightly confused, asked, "Empathic mage? What's that?"   
"Angie's magic comes from within her heart, allowing her to feel her powers. Her heart guides her power, but her emotions can tap into her deepest powers in her soul."   
While all this was going on, Cosmo was out for an early morning walk. He was very upset at Ace's decision to trust Rika and Renamon and allow them to stay in the Magic Express. However, he was concerned about Angie. "I…I gotta go back there. I still don't like what Ace did, but Angie…I can't just leave her like she is right now."   
He quietly returned to the Magic Express and entered the living room, where Angie still lay asleep. He then sat next to her. "Hey, Ang. I'm glad you got back here safely, after what you did this morning. I, like, wish I could tell what you were thinking like Ace can. I know you're telling the truth, but seeing that weird fox brought back some scary memories for me. The first thing I thought about was _Raptor XII_, and that's probably one memory that'll like haunt me for life." Holding her hand, he sadly added, "Angie, you're the first person I've ever been able to call a real sister. You're always looking out for us, making sure we're okay. I just hope you're doing all right."   
The female magician squeezed her friend's hand.   
Cosmo gasped, "Angie?"   
She slowly opened her eyes and noticed him. "Hi, Cosmo," she softly said with a smile on her face.   
He was so happy to see her awaken he had tears in his eyes. "Angie…I'm glad you're okay." He then gave her a hug.   
"Ow, take it easy!" Angie winced.   
He quickly released the hug. "Oh, sorry. Forgot."   
"It's all right. If it weren't for Rika and Renamon, I don't think I would be here right now."   
"Renamon's that…what's it called?"   
"She's called a _Digimon_. Why do you ask?"   
"Because I yelled at both her and Rika. I thought they were trying to hurt you, so I kinda…lashed out at 'em. I didn't mean to."   
"I know, Cosmo. You were just scared. I heard everything you said, and I wouldn't blame you in the least for being afraid of Renamon. She's also a creation of data…like that monster you had to deal with yourself."   
"I owe them a serious apology, but what if they don't accept it?"   
"There's only one way to find out. Can you help me up so we can get to the practice room?"   
"Sure thing, Ang."   
He helped her get to her feet and walked with her to the training room.   
There, Ace continued talking with Rika and Renamon about Angie's powers. "Not too long ago, though, she completely lost control of her emotions and her powers. She buried her anger and pain for a number of years when she suddenly let out all her rage in one moment. She nearly killed someone with the combination of that rage and her powers being so out of control."   
That sent a chill down Rika's back. "It was _that_ bad for her?"   
"Yes, it was," said Angie, standing at the door with Cosmo holding her up.   
"Angie," Ace gasped, "you shouldn't be up yet."   
"It's all right, Ace. I'm well enough to finish this story. It was horrible for me that day. The anger exploded out of me, and I couldn't control my rage. I was too scared to accept my own darker side for a long time. I thought if anyone saw me become embittered, I would lose my friends forever. Ace had to stop me from running away to make me realize just how wrong I was. I had to understand that all human beings—excuse me, I mean _all beings in general_—have a darker half. I was just afraid to face that fact."   
"Sounds like what I went through with _Raptor XII_," whispered Cosmo.   
"Who?" asked Rika and Renamon simultaneously.   
"Um, a computer-generated character…like you, Renamon."   
Ace knew how painful the memory was for Cosmo. "Do you want me to tell them the story?"   
"Nah, I think it's best if I do it, so I can, like, explain my actions from earlier."   
Rika still had some resentment for Cosmo, but she decided to give him a chance to clarify what he had done less than an hour ago. "I have heard of the game, but isn't that for adults?"   
"Yes, it is. _Raptor XII_ is the game, and the central character in the game. At the time I was playing it, I was 17 years old. I had lied to Ace about not knowing anything about the game. Then one day, I was playing the game while Ace worked on a holographic program for a new show. In the middle of a severe thunderstorm, lightning, like, struck the Magic Express and somehow fused the two programs together, causing the character to come into reality. Ace and I struggled to get him back to the computer world he came from. When I saw you, Renamon, I thought _Raptor XII_ was coming back for me…through you." He then put his face down in shame. "I couldn't deal with seeing another character created from data of any kind."   
Renamon nodded in complete understanding. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Cosmo. You must have been suffering nightmares after your ordeal with the character."   
"Yeah, I did. I also wanna apologize to both you and Rika. I didn't mean to jump all over both of you the way I did. I didn't know you were helping Angie. I'm sorry."   
Rika walked up to the young man and said, "I understand, Cosmo. I used to think Digimon were just data, not beings with thoughts and feelings. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel."   
"No hard feelings?"   
"No hard feelings." She then extended her hand outward and smiled. "So we got off to a rocky start. We'll just start over again. I'm Rika Nonaka."   
He shook the hand of his newest friend. "A pleasure to meet you, Rika. I'm Cosmo."   
Renamon also came up and bowed to him. "I am Renamon. It is nice to meet you, Cosmo."   
Cosmo blushed in a little embarrassment. "Aw, Renamon, you don't have to do that with me. I'm not royalty or anything."   
Everyone laughed happily as peace was finally found between everyone in the room.   
"I'm glad we've all come to an understanding," said Ace, his tone beginning to turn serious. "Now, I am a little concerned. If LadyDevimon showed up here, could other Digimon appear here in Electro City as well?"   
"It's very possible," said Renamon. "As far as I can tell, this is the first time we've ever had a Digimon show up in a place _other_ than Tokyo. I wonder if the Digimon noticed us in the digital plane and followed us. If they have, we may have planted troubles for you and the people of Electro City."   
"It's not your fault, Renamon. Something or someone wants to make sure you and Rika are not at peace."   
Rika agreed. "I know. I don't know if you're going to believe me when I say this, but Renamon and I went with some friends to the Digital World itself to learn that it was under attack by something called the D-Reaper."   
"Wait a sec," said Cosmo with widened eyes, "you mean there are _others_ like you two?"   
"Yeah. There's Takato Matsuda with his partner Guilmon and Henry Wong with Terriermon. They're all back in Japan right now keeping a close eye on things. They also wanted me to stay out of trouble. So much for that idea."   
"Afraid so, Rika," said Ace. "I guess we need to figure out—"   
Just then, the holographic dodecahedron appeared. "Ace, you have a phone call from Zelda LeMond."   
"This early in the morning? Oh, well, patch it through here, Angel."   
"Right away, Ace."   
Zelda then appeared on the screen. "Ace, I need your help. Rumiko Nonaka's daughter Rika has disappeared from the room here at the Sinsun Hotel. Have you seen her?"   
"Oh, great," whispered Rika to Renamon. "Mom's probably going through the roof right now while Grandma's keeping her head."   
Ace was a little confused about the situation. _ It looks like Rika isn't exactly too thrilled about her mother, but I can't just leave her here. Perhaps it's best for now that I send her back to the hotel. No, that would create a scene. I'll let her family come here to pick her up. This way if there is a scene, there won't be any reporters around._ "Zelda, Rika's here at the Magic Express. Could you bring her family to come pick her up?"   
"What!?" Rika shouted angrily. "Why are you letting them come get me!?"   
Ace quickly turned to her. "Rika, I don't want your mother to suffer a stroke worrying about you right now. For the best, you need to be with your family until we can figure all this out."   
"But I don't want to go back right now! Mom'll have me on lockdown for sure!"   
Cosmo said, "Hold it, Rika. We'll all have time to figure out something soon enough. Just don't worry about anything right now. If I know Ace, he's got some kind of trick in mind."   
"I think Cosmo's right," agreed Renamon. "We know there will be more Digimon soon enough. We'll be able to team up again. Just be patient for now."   
"Okay, Renamon. I'll take your word for it. Sorry, Mr. Cooper."   
"It's all right, Rika. And just call me Ace. Mr. Cooper sounds too formal, especially since we're all going to have to be on the lookout for more Digimon to appear in Electro City."   
With a nod she said, "Okay, Mr. Coo—Ace, I guess we can all be on guard."   
"Okay. Let me get back to Zelda." He then faced the younger model on the screen. "Zelda, we'll be waiting for you here at the Express."   
"Thanks, Ace. Rumiko will be glad to know she's all right. But…how did she get all the way to your home?"   
"It's a long story, Zelda. Just trust me."   
"Very well. I'll see you in about 20 minutes." The screen then went black.   
In the hotel room, Zelda looked at Rumiko with a relieved smile. "Good news. Rika is safe. She's currently at the Magic Express."   
"Ace Cooper's home?" said Mishara in surprise. "She sure went to a lot of trouble to see the Magician, didn't she?"   
"I don't care about that!" Rumiko screamed. "Let's just get over there and pick up Rika."   
The three women soon went to Zelda's car and took of from the hotel to meet up with Rika at the Magic Express. 

The 20 minutes soon passed, with everyone meeting outside the Magic Express. Renamon waited just on the inside, since only Zelda did not know of her existence.   
Rumiko was first to rush out of the car to get to her daughter. "Rika, thank goodness!" She hugged her tightly. "What on Earth were you doing out so early in the morning!? I can't believe you brought that thing with you!"   
Mishara whispered, "Stop it, Rumiko. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone except Zelda knows about the Digivice and Renamon."   
"Look, _I_ am her mother, and she will do what _I_ tell her, understand!? Now, Rika, I want you to apologize to this group of people immediately for the trouble you caused."   
Ace tried to reason with Rumiko as best he could. "Mrs. Nonaka, with all due respect, she didn't do anything wrong at all. Rika's been pleasant company here."   
"Listen, Mister! She is _my_ daughter, and I will not have her going around with strangers! Besides, I know her friend's here, too! As far as I'm concerned, _your_ friend Angela started all this trouble! It wouldn't have happened if that girl just stayed out of the way!"   
Rika became very angry about that remark. "That's a lie, Mom! Angie is my friend now, and so are these two people, Ace and Cosmo! Besides, she brought my…device back after finding it in Daedalus Park where I dropped it yesterday afternoon."   
"You are _friends_ with these troublemakers!? Not anymore." She then looked angrily at Ace. "Whoever you and your friends are, I want you to _stay away_ from my daughter, understand!? Let's go."   
Rumiko grabbed Rika's left arm and dragged her back to the car.   
Mishara felt very humiliated by her daughter's attitude. "Mr. Cooper, I'm sorry. Rumiko tends to be very overprotective of Rika."   
"I understand. However, she needs to allow Rika to have some type of space." He then whispered, "Besides, we may need her and Renamon's help again, since LadyDevimon showed up very early this morning."   
"You _do_ know about the Digimon."   
"Yes, thanks in large part to Angie. If we need Rika and Renamon, can we—"   
"Of course. She can meet up with you and your friends. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for us. I don't want her hurt, either, but she does need some freedom to move around. So long."   
"Take care." When the car finally left, he turned to Angie. "Can you still sense Renamon?"   
"Yes. She stays close to Rika at all times, but I can still make contact with her, just not with Rika. My wavelength isn't exactly the same as Rika's."   
"Good. We need to be prepared for the possibility of more Digimon showing up around here." 

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Electro City Police Department, Lieutenant Derek Vega tried to file a report as best he could to his superior about the unusual disturbance in Daedalus Park. "I don't get it. Some kind of fight took place there, but I don't see any blood. What could've happened there?"   
His secretary, Miss LeSage, came into the office. "Problems, Lieutenant?"   
"Yes, Miss LeSage. There was a situation in that park, and Ace said Angie was somehow involved in the mess. I'd better get in touch with him about this." He then used his own videophone to contact his longtime friend.   
Just as Ace and the others went back inside the Magic, Angel made another appearance. "Lieutenant Vega for you."   
"Thanks, Angel." When Vega appeared on the screen, Ace said, "Derek, what's going on?"   
"About the situation this morning at Daedalus Park. You said Angie was mixed up somewhere by your bond with her. Can you tell me what happened?"   
"Angie could tell you, but I don't think you'll believe it at all."   
"After knowing you for so long I've learned that anything's possible. Angie?"   
"Hi, Vega. If I tell you this story, you have to promise two things: Not to laugh about it and not to tell Friedrichs."   
"I think I can manage. What happened?"   
The female magician told her incredible tale of danger against an ultimate-level Digimon in the park, and being assisted by another Digimon. "That's the truth, Vega. This isn't another case of _Raptor XII_. Somehow, these beings have found their way here to Electro City from the Digital World. I can also sense the presence of Digimon on my own, no computers or any gadgets. It's like they have a sort of magical energy in their data."   
"Angie, I honestly believe you. Your powers are always intriguing, ever since the discovery of your telemetric powers a couple of years back. So, what should we do in the meantime?"   
"Watch for electrical disturbances around the city. Angel's been able to pick up one already, so don't be surprised if there are more to come."   
"Okay. Maybe it's better if I _don't_ tell Friedrichs about this. He'd think I belonged in some kind of institution or something."   
"He'd better not!" said Angie angrily. "I'm liable to make him levitate 100 feet in the air if he does anything."   
"Take it easy, Angie. You know how he is, though."   
Just then, the chief of police stormed into Vega's office. "What is going on here, Vega!?" said the bespectacled Captain Howard Friedrichs. "Where is that report for the incident this morning? I wanted it more than 30 minutes ago!"   
"I'm almost done with it, Captain. Can you give me about 10 more minutes?"   
"And why are you talking with that troublemaking magician and his friends? Do they have information to hide as usual?"   
"No, sir. They were all at the Magic Express when the incident took place."   
"Whatever, Vega. You'd better have that report in 10 minutes, or I'll have you demoted to Lost and Found!" Friedrichs then walked off and slammed the door.   
"You're right, Angie," said Vega. "I won't say anything to Friedrichs about this Digimon stuff."   
"Thanks, Vega. Besides, it's only one so far. We're anticipating more to come. We just don't know when yet." 

Back at the hotel, Rumiko was visibly upset with her daughter. "Rika, why did you bring that thing with you!? You know it's only going to create problems!"   
"Mom, I didn't want to leave Renamon behind. She's my best friend—"   
"And a source of nothing but trouble. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if your new friends are troublemakers themselves!"   
Mishara quickly stepped in. "Rumiko, I'll have you know Ace Cooper is not only the best magician in the world but also a wonderful man period. He always contributes to charities with his performances and cares for others. All you see in him is his physical aspects and automatically assume he makes trouble. If you could see him for who he really is, you would know he's not a troublemaker, and neither are his friends."   
"That's right, Mom. If Angie hadn't stepped in like she did, Renamon and I probably wouldn't be here right now! She came to our rescue."   
"How did Miss Jacobs know about Renamon and your Digivice? No one outside Japan has ever seen a Digivice."   
"I dropped it in the park by accident, but she found it a couple of hours later."   
"She probably wanted to steal it."   
Renamon then appeared in the room. "That's not true, Mrs. Nonaka. I thought Angie wanted to steal it, but her heart is noble and true. She wanted to give Rika back the Digivice. She and her friends now know of my existence and the incident this morning at Daedalus."   
"Great, that's just what we need, an international incident with those Digimon things!" She then faced Rika. "Until further notice, young lady, you are confined to this room. Unless you're going with me, you are _not_ to leave this room for any reason, understand?"   
"But Mom, what about—"   
"No buts, Rika! None of this mess would've ever happened if you had left your Digivice back in Japan like you should have before! Now, I have a shoot to go to with Zelda. Mother, I want you to stay with Rika and make sure she doesn't leave the room."   
"Now wait just a minute. Rika would like to get to see the city some, so I'll take her with me."   
"Oh, do whatever you want, Mother. It seems everyone's turned against me anyway."   
"It wouldn't be that way if you would just let me be myself instead of in your shadow all the time!" yelled Rika. "I'd like to see my father again, if that's possible."   
"Why would you want to spend time with your negligent father!? He was never there for us."   
"Yeah, well he didn't go jumping all over the world for a stupid fashion shoot!"   
"How dare you make fun of my profession! Isn't that what you want to be in life?"   
"No, it is _not_! I have the right to decide for myself what I want to be. A fashion model isn't it. I have plenty of time; let me choose my own path, my own destiny."   
"If you're going to be like that, Rika, then you can stay here in the room!"   
"Rumiko, I am _not_ going to allow you to be like this towards your own daughter," said Mishara. "She has permission to go around the city with me. Go to your fashion shoot, but leave Rika alone!"   
"Fine!" Rumiko grabbed her jacket and abruptly left the hotel room.   
In the parking lot, Zelda was a little concerned about Rumiko. "What's taking her so long?"   
Mrs. Nonaka ran up to her. "Sorry, Zelda. I got tied up with my mother and my daughter. It seems my daughter doesn't want to stay in her room."   
"Rumiko, your mother can keep an eye on Rika. If Rika wants to go around the city, let her. She's never been to America, and it won't help her if she stays confined to the room. Now let's go. Renaldo's going to be furious if we're even one minute late for the shoot."   
"Right. At least I know my daughter will be safe."   
The two women took off in the car for the fashion shoot.   
Mishara looked at the very disgruntled Rika. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I know how much you miss your father."   
"I do. I just wish I knew where he was now. I don't want to go on one of those talk shows trying to find him. I haven't heard from him in a couple of years."   
"Listen, I have an idea. How about you and me take a tour of the city? Get your mind off some things, even if just for a little while."   
The teenager looked at her grandmother and smiled. "I guess…okay. I shouldn't worry about so much right now. Thanks, Grandma."   
"You're welcome, Rika. I trust you, but your mother apparently doesn't trust anyone, especially those new friends you made."   
"I know. I definitely like Angie. She's a great person and a powerful magician, especially after what she did to LadyDevimon this morning."   
"What did she do?"   
Renamon answered, "She gave LadyDevimon a surprise attack of her own, and also was able to use the Digivice and game card."   
"What was really amazing," added Rika, "was that she had never seen the card before and couldn't translate the Japanese."   
"Yes, yet she was able to feel the energy within the card itself and figured out exactly what it was. She managed to get my best attack into use just before she got hurt."   
"Is she all right?" asked a worried Mishara.   
"Yes. She is just about fully recovered from her ordeal. She has a wonderful group of friends who care for her very much, including that young man Cosmo."   
"Yeah. Cosmo and I didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but after he talked about his own brush with death at the hands of a different computer-generated character, I understood why he reacted angrily at us being in their home."   
"So, after you and Renamon took care of LadyDevimon in the park, you brought her back to the Magic Express."   
"That's right," Renamon noted. "As Rika said, things did not start off well right away, but we do trust each other now. So far, Mr. Cooper, Cosmo, Angie, and the beautiful panther Zina know of the incident."   
"Good. The less number of people that know, the better. No offense, Rika."   
"It's okay, Grandma. None taken. Only thing is, if we're going on a tour of the city, how will we do it? We don't know our way around."   
"No," said Renamon, "but Ace Cooper and his friends would."   
"How do we get in contact with them?"   
"Through the rapport I share with Angie."   
"You can communicate with her?" asked Mishara in obvious surprise.   
"Yes, I can. She is an empathic mage, able to feel her powers. Maybe I can ask her." The golden fox Digimon closed her eyes to make psychic contact. _Angie, it's Renamon. Can you hear me?_   
Back at the Magic Express, Angie had just finished breakfast when she heard Renamon's voice in her mind. _ Renamon? What's going on? Is there another Digimon?_   
_ No, not yet. Rika and her grandmother wish to take a tour of Electro City. Is there any way you could, well—_   
_ Let me talk to Ace about that, okay?_   
Angie walked into the practice room and talked to Ace. "Um, Ace, listen, Renamon's asking me if we could take Rika and her grandmother on a tour of the city. I know it's a bit much, but, well…"   
Ace shook his head and simply smiled. "Angie, of course we can take them. Tell Renamon we'll pick them up at the hotel in about an hour. Just remember, we have to be back by about 3:00 for practice. The show's in just three days."   
"Wait, I have an idea. Why don't we invite them over for lunch anyhow? Save us a little time, right?"   
"Sure. Okay, it's a go all the way around."   
"Thanks, Ace." _Renamon, tell them to be ready in one hour._   
_ Very well, Angie, and thank you._   
"It's all set."   
"Angie, sometimes I wonder about you. Your powers are developing far faster than I would have ever imagined. Even I didn't do it so quickly. You've been able to communicate with a ghost, a girl in another dimension, an empath—"   
"My darker shadow," she interrupted.   
"I know you're still coming to terms with that right now. It's okay. That part will need a lot of time. Now, how about we get ready for that tour of the city for your—I mean, our—friends?"   
In the hotel room, Renamon looked at Rika and Mishara with a smile. "We're good to go. She said be ready in an hour. Mr. Cooper will bring his friends to pick us up."   
"Great!" said an excited Rika. "I can't wait for it!"   
An hour later, Ace and Zina arrived in the Magic Racer while Cosmo and Angie rode behind on the Magic Bike.   
Rika could not believe the size of the car. "This is _your_ car?"   
"Yes, it is, Rika. Cosmo and Angie are riding the Bike because there isn't enough room in here for all of us. Now, we're having practice at 2:00, but you're welcome to come over for lunch and to watch us practice for the show on Thursday."   
"Come over? You mean you hired a cook?"   
Angie giggled and said, "Nope. _I'm_ the cook."   
"And I'm warnin' you now," joked Cosmo, "once you start eating her cooking, you won't be able to stop."   
Angie then noticed that Renamon was not around. _ I guess this is just a precaution for you._   
_ I'm afraid so. Last thing needed is a panic in the city. However, if there is a Digimon present, I will appear in a hurry._   
_ I won't be surprised if another one does show up here. Let's just hope it's not too soon._   
"Shall we get going, everyone?" said Ace dryly. "We have a lot to see in a short amount of time."   
Rika and Mishara joined Zina in the back seat of the Racer as Ace took the driver's seat. Cosmo and Angie then put on helmets and mounted onto the Bike. Soon, Rika and Mishara were on a real first-class tour of Electro City with its star celebrity being the tour guide.   
Mishara had a pocket camera with her and wanted to stop at every building they could see to get a photo of herself with Rika and her new friends. "I'm sorry, everyone. I can't help this right now."   
Rika laughed and said, "Not a problem, Grandma. At least I'll have proof I've actually had a good time so far. What I can't wait for is the candid shoot with Zelda on Saturday."   
"Aw, that's gonna be fun," said Cosmo. "You get to basically be yourself while Zelda takes the pictures. Your own photo shoot without that funny-accented photographer tellin' you, like, how to pose."   
"Yeah, and I get to wear _this_ outfit!"   
"That broken heart looks really cool on you."   
"Thanks. Well, we'd better finish up here, since we've got lunch coming up soon."   
Within 30 minutes, the group returned to the Magic Express, where Angie quickly whipped up a chicken casserole for all to enjoy. "Lunch is on. Oh, and Renamon, you're welcome to join us. It's safe."   
The golden fox appeared and said, "Thank you, Angie. I was getting hungry."   
"Here you go."   
Renamon could smell how good the food was going to be. One bite of the dish had proven it beyond reasonable doubt. "This is delicious, Angie. You are such a good cook."   
"Yeah," said Cosmo. "Ace and I found that out when Angie first came here. She cooked up the best homemade chicken noodle soup I had ever eaten, and it was all to help me fight the flu."   
"Very interesting. Angie, do you ever use magic to cook?"   
"Only if it's part of the act. It's a lot tougher since I'm used to the two hands, not the magic."   
"Ah, a hard worker in general."   
"Right. My parents raised me to believe in a good work ethic, not try using shortcuts."   
"Your parents did raise you well."   
When they finished lunch, Ace invited Rika and Mishara into the practice room to watch him and Angie train for their upcoming show.   
"We always try to improve our illusions and tricks," he said, "making them more difficult and at times more dangerous. There are a lot of rival magicians out there who will do anything to steal tricks for themselves."   
"I had no idea about that," said Mishara.   
"Most of us in the magic community are friends of one another, but some only want to steal the tricks just to make themselves better, not cooperate with other illusionists. In some cases, some magicians are so dangerous we have a special list called the Universal Magician Alert, a list of practitioners who only use their magic to steal or lie."   
"I never knew there could be people so horrible like that."   
"Yes, there can be, like one we had to deal with before named Darlena Lowland. She wanted to be my apprentice and wanted Angie out because she started at a surprisingly older age. When I said no, she tried to have us all killed. She's basically in the minority of all practicing magicians around the world." He then turned to Angie. "Okay, ready to try the fireballs again?"   
"Sure am. Let's go."   
They both magically created fireballs to juggle.   
"Aren't those dangerous?" Mishara asked with some concern.   
"It's okay, Mrs. Nonaka," said Angie. "Ace has taught me how to control them skillfully. Okay, Zina, are you ready?"   
Zina growled in content because of her importance to the act. She jumped through Ace's hoop without any problems.   
However, as the panther was starting to go through Angie's fire hoop, a powerful feeling overcame the female magician. "Ohhh, not again," she said as she slumped to the ground.   
"Oh, no, Zina!" shouted Rika.   
Zina did manage to land on the ground without a scratch.   
"How did she—?"   
"Manage to land with no burns?" finished Ace. "We never use real fire. We use a special fire powder that's completely harmless. All Angie and I have to do is manipulate it. My concern right now is Angie." He then came up to her. "What's wrong?"   
"I…feel something…is here again."   
Suddenly, Rika's Digivice sounded an alarm. "I don't believe it! There _is_ another Digimon here in Electro City."   
"I can feel it, too," said Renamon.   
Finally, Angel made an appearance in the room. "Ace, my sensors are picking up a new electrical disturbance."   
"Well," said Ace, "it must be that digital field you and Renamon talked about earlier. Angel, what's the location?"   
"The digital field is located 10.3 miles west of here, along the Grand Canal."   
"No…not there," said a concerned Cosmo.   
"What's the matter, Cosmo?" asked Renamon.   
"Zelda gave me a schedule of her photo shoot with Mrs. Nonaka. The first part of the shoot is exactly where that digital field is…" 


	4. The Real Danger

Making Digi-Magic   
Part 4: The Real Danger

Rumiko Nonaka and Zelda LeMond were hard at work on their glamorous photo shoot, both knowing this special shoot was going into a special magazine issue. The plan was to give the current-day supermodels a chance to salute the models that inspired them to take an interest in the career.   
Renaldo the photographer was impressed with their poses in the highly stylish clothes given to them. "Wonderful, ladies, just wonderful! Now, turn to the left." He then took their picture together. "Beautiful! This will look great in the September issue of _Superb Style_. Let us keep up the good work, ladies."   
However, as he was preparing for the next shot, he noticed something peculiar developing over the water. "What's going on here?" he whispered in concern. "I checked the weather forecast for today. There _isn't_ supposed to be any fog anywhere, including here along the Grand Canal."   
Rumiko noticed the photographer not taking any photos. "Renaldo, what's wrong? Why did you stop? We need to get this done so we can get to the next location." When she noticed his hands starting to shake, she turned around and noticed something very odd. "What on Earth…a fog bank?"   
Back at the Magic Express, everyone realized how dangerous the situation was becoming, especially after Cosmo noted Rika's mother and Zelda being at the same location as the newly discovered digital field.   
"No…Mom," said a worried Rika. "I…don't want her to get hurt. I know she and I don't agree on a lot of things, but she's still my mother. She wanted me to go to get my mind off Digimon and all the problems back in Japan."   
Ace looked at the teenager with concern. "Rika, I want you to tell me everything that's going on where you live. Something tells me the information you and Renamon can give us may explain what's happening here."   
Rika and her Digimon friend looked at each other and decided that telling the truth could be of help to them all.   
Renamon spoke first. "When we returned from the Digital World, we didn't know that something terrifying called the D-Reaper had followed us back to Earth."   
"The D-Reaper," added Rika, "wants to destroy everything in our world. The problem is…we don't even know what it looks like. All we've been able to see is a red goo-like mass. Now I know why Mom wanted to do the photo shoot. She wanted to get me away from the situation, but now _she's_ in danger, and so is Zelda."   
Cosmo knew Rika was right. "We've gotta get out there before they all get hurt."   
Mishara was very concerned. "Please…Rumiko…"   
Ace did his best to comfort her. "Mrs. Nonaka, don't worry, we'll get Rumiko and Zelda out of danger. Rika, do you have your Digivice with you?"   
"Yeah. This can tell us exactly who we're dealing with."   
"Good. We have to get to that digital field before it's too late to help them."   
As they were leaving, Angie turned to Rika's grandmother. "You need to stay here. Don't worry, we'll make sure we return, with your daughter and Zelda."   
"I believe you, Angie. Just…be careful, all of you."   
"No sweat," said Cosmo in confidence. "We'll have everybody back by dinner!"   
Ace and his friends took off from the garage in the Magic Racer while Rika rode on Renamon in her champion form Kyubimon.   
In the back seat, Angie shook her head. "I don't understand this. I mean, no offense towards Rika or Renamon, but how in the world can I sense…data?"   
The Magician replied, "Somehow, these beings from the Digital World are _more_ than data…they're real beings themselves, only from a different universe. The Digimon must possess some special magic, but amazingly I can't really pick it up as well as you can."   
"Why is that? I mean, you're more powerful than I am."   
"True. I can also sense others' powers. However, your magic lies within the heart, which makes you far more sensitive. That explains why you've been able to communicate with a ghost and your deceased parents. Does that make any sense to you?"   
"Yeah, I think so. Because my magic is emotionally driven, I guess I'm more aware of the gifts and powers of others."   
"Exactly. Now, let's get to that area of the Grand Canal to help Rika's mom and Zelda."   
As the two groups approached, Cosmo noticed a strange cloud. "I can't see a thing."   
Kyubimon said, "That's the digital field. It will look like a huge cloud of fog, but there is a Digimon hiding in there somewhere. It's up to us to find it and stop it before Mrs. Nonaka and Miss LeMond get hurt."   
Ace stopped the car within 10 feet of the digital field, where he, Cosmo, Angie, and Zina all ran into it behind Rika and Kyubimon.   
Rika then yelled, "Mom? Zelda? Are you both in here?"   
Rumiko heard the screaming plea of her daughter. "Rika! We're in here! What's going on?"   
"Mom, you and Zelda need to get away from here! There's a Digimon around here somewhere!"   
Sure enough, a strange flower-like creature emerged from the digital field. It was a giant flower but by no means friendly. It moved around by its spiked vines, which had chomping flowers on the ends of at least four of the vines, and the main flower had 10 petals and one very mean face.   
Ace looked up and could not believe his eyes. "What on Earth is that thing?"   
Rika checked her Digivice for information. "Okay, here it is…Blossomon, vegetation data type, and ultimate level. Special attack is Spiral Flower. That looks like one nasty flower."   
"You're right," said Angie. "Our first priority is to protect Rika's mother and Zelda. Once they're safely away, we'll take care of that troublesome Digimon."   
"I'll get 'em away," said Cosmo as he started running. "Aw, man, I can't see anything. I'd better put the goggles on." He soon made his way past Blossomon and found Rumiko, Zelda, and Renaldo the photographer in shelter. "Come on, I'll get you outta here. Follow me."   
Unfortunately, Cosmo had a hard time telling directions and soon discovered he led the others right in front of Blossomon! "Whoops…I should've gotten a map or something."   
Angie saw they were all in danger. "Hang on!"   
Kyubimon yelled, "I'll distract Blossomon. You get them away with your magic."   
"Got it!" Angie put her hands forward and concentrated on levitating Cosmo and the others away from the perilous area.   
The four-legged golden creature jumped into the air and shouted, **_"Dragon Wheel!"_** Converting into a wheel of blue flame, she focused her attack on the large flower creature.   
The blue flame made a direct hit, but Blossomon just laughed. "Ha, foolish Digimon! Your pathetic wheel can't defeat me!"   
When Rumiko found herself floating in the air, she gasped, "Please tell me I'm dreaming."   
"Nah," said Cosmo, "it's real. Angie's doin' her part to get us out of trouble."   
Zelda nodded. "He's right, Rumiko. Just trust her and her powers."   
The female magician got Cosmo and the others to the edge of the digital field. "Okay, go straight ahead and get out of here!"   
Rumiko, though, wanted to stay and help. "No! Rika's my daughter, I can't—"   
Cosmo grabbed her arm. "Mrs. Nonaka, please…I know you don't exactly trust us, but you've got to believe me when I say your daughter is in the best hands right now."   
Zelda took hold of her other arm. "He's right, Rumiko. Ace Cooper and Angela Jacobs are more than performing magicians. They've done more for this city than you can imagine. Place your faith in them."   
Rumiko looked back at the situation. _Zelda's right. My daughter is trying to help me…even though I've been so hard on her. I just wanted to get her away from all this Digimon mess, but it wouldn't have mattered if I took her anywhere in the world. Those creatures would've followed with or without her device._ "You win. I'll go with you." She then yelled out, "Rika, be careful!"   
_I will, Mom,_ Rika thought in relief when she saw her walking out of the digital field with Cosmo and Zelda. Focusing back on Blossomon, she shouted, "They're out of danger! Let's knock out the flower power!"   
"Right!" Kyubimon shrieked She got her tails straightened and loudly said, **_"Foxtail Inferno!"_** The small flames at the ends of the tails escaped and soon merged into one giant flame which should have been able to finish the flower monster off, but to no avail. "Nothing's working! It seems to be a stronger ultimate!"   
"That's right, little horsy," Blossomon stated wickedly. "Before I got here to the real world, I had absorbed the data of at least 10 different Digimon!"   
"Absorbed the data?" said Angie. "What does that mean?"   
Kyubimon sadly said, "She has done what I used to do before. When one Digimon finishes another, the data of the defeated Digimon is downloaded to make the victor stronger."   
"Wait a minute, you mean some will…destroy or kill Digimon just to download their digital life force?"   
"Yes. Apparently Blossomon made sure that 10 different lives were forever lost, which is why we must defeat that thing before it does serious damage to Electro City. Rika?"   
"I'll see what card I can use!" She opened her packet to check her Digi-Game deck. "Let's see if this will work." Scanning the card through the Digivice, she shouted, **_"Agumon's Freeze Breath activate!"_**   
Kyubimon felt her mouth growing colder but knew what was going on. "Got it!" Jumping high into the air, the golden four-legged creature screamed, **_"Freeze Breath!"_**   
It seemingly froze Blossomon in place. Unfortunately, the nasty flower had something else in mind. "Nice try, sister, but not good enough! **_Spiral Flower!_**" Her four vines with the mean extensions were able to cut right through the ice.   
"Darn," said Rika in frustration, "it didn't work! If only I had a blue card!"   
She let her guard down just long enough for Blossomon to grab her by the vines! "Gotcha, little girl! Now you will suffer!"   
"Rika!" Kyubimon did her best to help, but running up towards the flower monster did no good. She soon was trapped in the vines. "Ahhh!"   
Blossomon laughed with true evil. "You think you can stop me, foolish human and foolish Digimon?" She started tightening the grip on both victims.   
Ace and Angie both knew something had to be done before it was too late for Rika and Kyubimon.   
Using her own magic, Angie made another game card appear in her hands. This card, though, was very different. "It's blue…and it's got a weird 'D' and a little dinosaur on it."   
"I don't understand," said a very confused Ace.   
"Wait…I see…something about…ultimate form…matrix digivolution?" In her telemetric vision she noticed Kyubimon changing forms again. "That's it! Ace, I need Rika's Digivice!"   
"I have no idea what you're trying to do, but I've known you too long not to trust what you're doing." He put out his right hand, which soon glowed in a violet light.   
Rika could not move but could feel her Digivice disappearing from her hands. "Hey, what the—"   
Ace made the device appear in his hand and quickly gave it to Angie. "Now what?"   
"Now Kyubimon's going to digivolve!" After scanning the blue card through the Digivice, she shouted, **_"Matrix Digivolution activate!"_**   
Despite being trapped in Blossomon's grasp, Kyubimon felt herself becoming stronger. "She's…done it!"   
The glowing light became too much for Blossomon, who quickly released the tamer and her friend.   
**_"Kyubimon digivolve to…"_** Soon the four-legged creature was back on two legs again, but she became much taller than before. She had her one tail again while her face retained the same features. Also, her two feet became larger. Her outfit was a different story. She wore seemingly baggy purple slacks and her upper garb consisted of a strange outer piece with the yin-yang symbol on top and a strange symbol below. Her arm sleeves were longer than her arms as the upper arms extended further upward. On her head was a strange hat with a long black top and purple cover to keep her head from getting too hot. Standing tall was Renamon's ultimate form. **_"…Taomon!"_**   
Ace could not believe what he had just seen. "Unbelievable…Renamon has a third different form or level, I guess."   
"Yes, she does," Angie concurred. She then ran up to Rika. "Are you all right?"   
"Yeah, I think so. But…how did _you_ get Kyubimon to digivolve?"   
"I scanned a blue card through the Digivice. I could sense the energy within it was necessary for Kyubimon to digivolve."   
"That's amazing!"   
Taomon shouted, "Now it's my turn to play with _you_!" She jumped into the air and cried, **_"Thousand Spells!"_** It almost looked like 1000 little spell cards came out from the sleeves in her outfit.   
Ace jokingly said, "I wish I had a thousand tricks up my sleeves."   
"Ace, she's just getting started!" said Rika excitedly.   
Each of the spell cards that hit Blossomon made her weaker. "I don't believe it! You couldn't have digivolved!"   
"Oh, yes, I can. You're no blossoming beauty. Now to send you back to where you belong!" Out of her right arm came an incredibly large paintbrush.   
Angie's eyes widened. "Something tells me that brush is not gonna be used to paint colors all over Blossomon."   
She looked like she was swinging the brush wildly, but in reality she set up for her best attack. **_"Talisman…of Light!"_**   
A mysterious symbol appeared in blue light and soon made its way through Blossomon.   
"No! It's not possible…" The large flower monster disintegrated into little red pieces of light, which soon went high into the sky.   
"Mission accomplished!" exclaimed Angie. "Blossomon's gone…she got what she deserved."   
As the digital field disappeared, Ace came up to Rika. "Is it true…that for some Digimon to get stronger, they have to literally destroy other Digimon?"   
"Yes. Renamon used to do that because I thought that's all Digimon were supposed to do. We both learned how wrong we were."   
"That's right," said Taomon as she landed safely on the ground and reverted back to Renamon. "We realized that all we needed was each other for strength."   
As soon as the digital field disappeared, ten different police cars came to the scene.   
This time the charge was led by Captain Howard Friedrichs, the bespectacled chief of police. "All right, Cooper, I don't know what you're up to, but you are _not_ getting off the hook." He then noticed Renamon. "What kind of weird…thing is that?"   
"This 'thing' is named Renamon," answered Rika. "She's my friend."   
"Then I guess you two are involved in this disturbance with Cooper and Jacobs. You're all under arrest for disturbing the peace and vandalism."   
As the officers approached, though, Rumiko jumped in front of her daughter. "No! I will not allow you to arrest any of them, especially my daughter Rika!"   
"And who are you?" Friedrichs asked sarcastically.   
"I am Rumiko Nonaka. I'm a supermodel with an assignment here in Electro City. Zelda LeMond and I were in the middle of our photo shoot when we were attacked by a Digimon. However, this one standing here _was not_ the one. My daughter and her friends saved my life, Zelda's life, and Renaldo's life. If it weren't for them, we probably wouldn't be here now."   
"But don't you understand!? They damaged property—"   
"Sir, if you value property over life, then maybe I need to report you to the chief of police!"   
"I _am_ the chief of police!"   
Rumiko got right into his face. "Then maybe Electro City needs a _new_ police chief! You arrest my daughter and I will sue!"   
Lieutenant Derek Vega stepped out of the car and whispered, "Wow, a supermodel with an attitude to match…except this time for the right reason." He then came up behind Friedrichs. "She does have the right to do so, Captain. This could look bad for your reputation, arresting the daughter of a supermodel and creating an international incident."   
Friedrichs gave in to the pressure. "Fine! I'll let them go this time, but if they cause problems again, I will not only have them arrested, but _you_ as well, Mrs. Nonaka, for conspiracy!"   
"Conspiracy of what? I've done nothing here, except protect those who came to rescue us. I mean it. You try to have any of them arrested, and I'll see you are _no longer_ the police chief!"   
"Vega, clean up here, and get me that report by 8:00!" The captain then left in his own car.   
Vega then looked at Rika and her golden fox friend.   
"Please," Rika pleaded, "don't put her in jail."   
"Relax, young lady. I'm not putting anyone here in jail. You were able to protect lives, which accounts more to me than Friedrichs could ever understand. I'm Derek Vega, a good friend of Ace, Angie, and Cosmo."   
After breathing a sigh of relief, Rika said, "Thank you. I'm Rika, and this is my friend Renamon."   
"Nice to meet you, Rika. So, Renamon, you're a Digimon, huh?"   
"Yes, sir, I am. I apologize for the damage we inflicted here."   
"Damage to buildings can be repaired. When people get hurt, it's a different story." Vega then became serious. "Um, has something like this happened where you live?"   
Rika sadly said, "It's _currently_ happening in Japan. We came here in the hopes of getting away from the mess back home, but now it's followed us here."   
Zelda and Renaldo, though, were extremely confused.   
"Rumiko," said Zelda bluntly, "what is going on here? Why is your daughter the only one who can fight these…things? What is—"   
"Zelda, it's a long story, and I'll explain everything later." She then turned to Mr. Cooper. "Sir, I…I want to apologize to you and your friends. All I wanted to do was to take Rika away from this Digimon thing…all the danger and everything, but I guess no matter where I would take her, problems were bound to follow."   
The Magician simply nodded. "Mrs. Nonaka, Rika told us the same thing. You wanted to keep your daughter safe."   
"Mother…is she okay?"   
"She's at the Magic Express and perfectly fine."   
"Thank you," breathed Rumiko in relief. "Rika, I know I shouldn't have done this, and I'll understand if you're angry with me."   
"Mom, it's not your fault. I knew you were trying to get my mind off the mess back home, but I should've realized they would follow us here somehow. Now we have to deal with Digimon here in Electro City, too. Oh, and Mom?"   
"Yes, dear?"   
"Thanks for standing up for us against that creepy chief."   
Vega said, "Believe me, Captain Friedrichs believes property is more important than protecting lives at times. Mrs. Nonaka, you're one of the very few people willing to stand up to him."   
"I know she and the others saved my life, and that counts for more than all the damage done here. It's messier back in Japan."   
"So," said Zelda, "what do we do now?"   
Angie suggested, "We need to return to the Magic Express and assess the situation. Blossomon's the second Digimon to appear here through a digital field, and she probably won't be the last one."   
Vega noted, "Digital field? That explains the electrical disturbance we picked up at the station earlier. Apparently we have a lot of information to discuss back at the Express."   
"Agreed, Vega," said Ace seriously. "Something tells me the real danger's still to come."   
In a matter of minutes, everyone left the scene in at least four different vehicles to return to the Magic Express and talk more about the strange situation involving Digimon appearing in Electro City. 

Meanwhile, in another dimension, a huge mass of red ooze had created much damage to a certain world, as it was out to completely destroy it. Out of nowhere, a strange voice spoke. "That human and her Digimon thought they could escape me," it said angrily. "She thought she could just leave her problems behind…wherever she goes, I will send others to find her and her Digimon. Humankind and Digimon were meant for nothing but destruction. However, the human and her partner have joined forces with two unusually powerful humans. The female human was able to inflict damage to one of my best warriors, and she has her own ability to sense Digimon without any device. Something must be done where they all are, and now! I will start sending _mega-level_ Digimon to that particular area. For now, though, I do not have enough energy. I used most of it with LadyDevimon and Blossomon." It then sent out for a larger Digimon. "Milleniummon!"   
In a desolated area, the beckoned Digimon was extremely large. It appeared to be a six-legged creature, but in reality it had four arms and two legs. Its top left arm had one red talon. There was also what seemed to be a cover over it, a cover of pure flame. On top were two large cannon-like machines, obviously used to destroy anything which stood in its way. "The D-Reaper calls," said the mega-level monster. "You have summoned me?"   
"Yes, Milleniummon. I have already exerted too much energy of my own in trying to stop that little human subject Rika and her Digimon partner Renamon. They have befriended a pair of powerful humans."   
"Do you have any information on them?"   
"Yes, I was able to get that from LadyDevimon and Blossomon before they were destroyed. They have demonstrated powerful skills of…magic. I did not put that into the human factor. One can sense our presence in the real world with no use of any device. We need to know more about this pair of humans, but also their friends around them. Whatever happens, I want _no one_ to interfere when I come to the real world and destroy it."   
The Digimon monster asked, "What do you wish of me?"   
"You have power only second to my own here in the Digital World. Send two of your best mega-level Digimon to Earth. I want more information on this pair who can do magic through their wills. And, see if you can obtain any other useful data that may be of help to us."   
"I shall do my best, Master. I will not fail you."   
"See to it you do not. If they fail, you will be the next to travel to Earth! The place that little girl and her Digimon have gone to…it _must_ be destroyed!"   
Milleniummon bowed in respect. "Yes, Master." He then looked around and shouted, "Boltmon! Come here at once!"   
Approaching from the horizon was a Digimon almost half the size of Milleniummon, but powerful nonetheless. He looked like a reject from a roller derby, just no skates. He had attached bolts like Frankenstein would at the two sides of his neck. The bolts, though, were all over him. He wore buckled pants like he were Michael Jackson. He also wore a funny-looking helmet and had a large metal ax within the sheath on his back. Despite being green-skinned, Boltmon knew he had a job to do. "You summoned me?"   
"Yes. When the next chance comes, I want you to go to the real world and find a little human girl and her Digimon partner named Renamon. Be warned, however. They have joined forces with two humans who have powers we do not understand. One of them can easily detect our presence _without_ the use of any machine, as if she knows we have something more than just absorbed data. Try to get as much information on them and any of their friends as possible. The master wants the Digimon destroyed…by any means necessary. Do not fail."   
Boltmon bowed. "I understand, Milleniummon. It's about time I saw some action!" He then stood up and left, hoping he could find the next tear in the dimensions and get to the real world. 

Back in the real world, everyone arrived at the Magic Express, much to the relief of Mishara. "Rumiko! Rika! You're both all right!" She ran up to them and hugged them very tightly.   
"Yes, Mother," said Rumiko in content. "We all made it back safely, and I owe my life to Rika's new friends."   
"I'm glad to see you _do_ trust them after all."   
"I do, especially considering they thought about our safety first before attacking that killer flower." She then became angry. "The nerve of that man, Captain Friedrichs, thinking he could arrest my daughter!"   
Mishara was appalled by this development. "What!? The police wanted Rika arrested?"   
Vega stepped up and answered, "Actually, ma'am, only Friedrichs wanted Rika and Renamon arrested, along with Ace, Angie, and Cosmo for destruction of public buildings. Rika's mom, on the other hand, did something not too many people are brave enough to do…get in the captain's face and tell him off."   
"That's my girl," said Mishara. "Tells it like it is without sugarcoating anything. Same as Rika."   
Zelda and Renaldo threw themselves onto the couch, after all the excitement they went through earlier.   
"I thought killer flowers were only seen in the movies," said Renaldo, panting in exhaustion. "Just what was that thing anyway?"   
Zelda stood herself up and said, "That's what I want to know."   
Rumiko sat next to them and said, "That flower monster you saw was a Digimon. It's short for a _Digital Monster_. However, Renamon, the golden fox standing over there next to Rika, is by no means a monster, right, sweetie?"   
"Right, Mom. Renamon and I are partners and more importantly, friends. We've been fighting Digimon ever since I met her last year. At first we thought the sole purpose of Digimon was to absorb data and make Renamon the strongest of them all. In the time we've been together, though, we learned we needed each other, not the data."   
"Rika speaks the truth," said Renamon. "Our friendship and trust have allowed us to be stronger within ourselves."   
Angie smiled. "Sounds like what I went through here when I first met Ace and Cosmo. Unfortunately, we don't quite have time to exchange stories. We need to figure out how to stop any more Digimon from messing up Electro City."   
Everyone agreed with Angie's assessment.   
Vega said, "Then let's get down to business. We know that so far, there have been two of these Digimon appearing through something called a digital field. At the police station our trackers have been noticing strange signals. The first signal was at Daedalus Park early this morning, and then came the one near the Grand Canal with that flower creature. How is it they're coming here?"   
"May I answer?" asked Renamon. After Vega nodded, she said, "They have apparently found dimensional tears in locations _other_ than Japan. It seems where we go, the Digimon in the Digital World can tell. Some of us have a unique…frequency. Angie must also have a special frequency within herself."   
"Which explains my theory," Ace interjected. "I am more powerful than Angie, but her heart gives her the ability to sense those with unique powers, like you, Renamon. You're not data. You are a real being who may have some real magic within yourself."   
"An interesting theory, Mr. Cooper. One that may hold the truth. We know so far that Angel's sensors, Rika's Digivice, the police's tracking equipment, Angie, and I can all detect the presence of Digimon here. We now face a couple of problems. Lieutenant Vega, I can tell you right now that the police is _no_ match against Digimon. The military back in Japan learned that the hard way."   
"Really?" asked the lieutenant.   
"Yeah," answered Rika. "There's this large red goo-like thing growing back home, and it's causing a lot of damage in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. I really wish we didn't have to leave at such a critical time. I just wonder if Takato and the others are doing all right."   
"They haven't launched an all-out attack against the red goo," Renamon noted. "I think it's waiting for just the right moment. However, I think that thing wants to challenge all of us together, so I think the D-Reaper's trying to _force_ us to go back to Japan."   
Rumiko put her face down in shame. "I just made the entire situation worse by trying to take Rika away from all this. How could I have been—"   
"Mom, stop." Rika sat next to her mother. "I know you were only looking out for me, but I guess being a Digimon Tamer is a destiny I can never get away from. Somehow, Takato, Henry, and I were chosen to protect Earth from this menace. I have to accept my fate now, no matter what."   
Zelda then asked, "Rika, there are others like you?"   
"Right. Takato Matsuda, Henry Wong, and I are the three main tamers. We also have other friends with their own Digimon helping out. It seems right now the D-Reaper doesn't want to do anything unless we're there, like it's toying with us. Why else would it have sent weak Digimon here to Electro City of all places?"   
Vega nodded in agreement. "I believe Rika's right. We need to figure out how to stop these Digimon from making more of a mess while at the same time making sure Friedrichs doesn't screw things up on his end."   
"No kidding," said Cosmo. "Friedrichs has a great way of messing things up, particularly about things he doesn't understand."   
"I'm going to see if I can be the…head of this investigation. This way, you'll have no doubts. If Friedrichs oversees it, we're going to have problems." 

Little did they know that Friedrichs went straight to the top at City Hall. He went to see the "mayor" of Electro City, Senator Evan Dobbs. "Sir, I know we're having some rather strange situations going on, but—"   
"I don't care, Captain!" shouted the mayor, standing up in anger. The stout little man was very chubby for his size, yet he had the voice of authority…despite having a less-than-stellar performance rating on the job. "Do whatever it takes to put an end to these weird disturbances around the city! We've already had two sightings of strange fog banks, and then inexplicable damage to buildings near the Grand Canal and in Daedalus Park!"   
"I know, sir. We're doing everything we can to figure out what's been happening."   
"That's not good enough, Friedrichs! The report Vega made is too vague and doesn't give us enough information! I want him and everyone associated with him checked out immediately! If there is some kind of conspiracy against me, then have them _all_ behind bars!"   
That order gave Friedrichs a reason to smile. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of that right away."   
When Friedrichs left Dobbs's office, Dobbs sat back down in his chair. "I don't know what kind of plot someone's trying to pull, but I'll make sure that gets stopped. After all, this _is_ an election year."   
Friedrichs drove off in his car, but not for police headquarters. "I want 10 units surrounding the Magic Express in 10 minutes. I know Vega's been up to something, and now I'm going to expose it!"   
At the Express, all were discussing how to solve this strange problem before things could get worse.   
Unfortunately, in the middle of the conversation, there was a loud knocking on the door. "Open up!" shouted Friedrichs through his megaphone. "The Magic Express is completely surrounded! Come out of there and give yourselves up!"   
Zelda could not believe what she heard. "You've got to be kidding! I didn't do anything!"   
"None of us did," said Vega. "Of course! Friedrichs got Senator Dobbs to make _him_ the head investigator. I never was a favorite for either of them."   
Angie became visibly upset over this situation. "The nerve of Friedrichs! He's got no proof that we did anything wrong! Stand back, everybody. _I'm_ gonna handle this one." Her eyes started glowing in light blue.   
Ace gently held her shoulder. "Wait…what are you going to do?"   
"A little hypnotic suggestion, that's all. I'm not going to physically do anything to them. Renamon, stay here. The last thing I want is Friedrichs putting _you_ behind bars just for looking different."   
"I understand, Angie. Be careful, though."   
"Don't worry, I know how to protect myself."   
She stepped outside where Friedrichs yelled out, "Okay, Miss Jacobs, you're coming with us down to the police station so you can explain your actions on those buildings earlier today, as well as the incident in Daedalus Park, since you obviously have something to do with it."   
Her eyes glowering with anger, she said, "I wouldn't bet on that, Captain Friedrichs." She then put her arms forward and waved her hands in a circular motion, creating a light strobe effect. In a matter of seconds, everyone in front of that light became transfixed and hypnotized. "Mine is the only voice you can hear," she spoke in a low tone of voice. "You will _not _arrest _anyone_ here in the Magic Express. We have done nothing wrong. Friedrichs, you will accept Vega's reports about the strange anomalies in any terms he uses. Also, there are no suspects within the walls of the Magic Express. We have a dangerous situation on our hands, and it is best that you _do not_ know the truth. Doing so will create panic. Now, you will all return to police headquarters and carry on as if nothing had ever happened, except for an incident of strange fog. My hypnosis will wear off the moment you step into the building, with no memory of what you have done here."   
They all left in a trance-like state in their vehicles and returned to police headquarters.   
Ace came outside and could not believe what happened. "Angie, you hypnotized at least 20 people, including Friedrichs! Have you ever done mass hypnosis before?"   
"No…something just came to me. I knew everyone here was innocent, so I had to do something to get them off our case in dealing with the Digimon. Like Renamon said, the police can't do this one. It could get more difficult though, if the Digimon start going to public places."   
"Yeah," agreed Rika. "It'll be enough of a headache without the police on our case. Uh, no offense, Lieutenant Vega."   
"None taken, Rika," chuckled Vega. "Friedrichs has always wanted me out somehow, some way. He even had _me_ arrested once for something out of the past."   
"That man has _no_ sense, whatsoever," said Rumiko. "Never mind that now. What should we do in the meantime? I mean, we know not all of us can go find the Digimon."   
Cosmo suggested, "Let's make the Express a control center, to keep tabs on things in terms of the Digimon."   
"Good idea," said Renamon. "When action calls, the only ones going will be myself, Rika, Ace, Angie, Zina, Vega, and Cosmo. We have the best chance of getting things done. The rest of you need to stay away, since it'll be too dangerous."   
Rumiko understood the situation. "You're right. All of you are more battle experienced than we are. I trust all of you."   
Renaldo, Zelda, and Mishara all smiled, showing their faith in the group.   
"Um, just one thing," said Renaldo, "what about our photo shoot?"   
"It's simple. We go ahead with it. I'm not going to let some renegade Digimon stop Zelda and me from getting those shots. When danger comes around, we'll just move to a different location out of harm's way."   
"I like that," Zelda stated calmly. "We just have to trust them and make sure we can finish our job in time. Oh, and Rika, that casual shoot's still on for Saturday."   
"Sounds good, Zelda. Thanks."   
Ace then said, "Okay, we've had our share of excitement for one day. Let's all go home for the day and rest. I know it's hard to do in this situation, but we mustn't panic about anything right now."   
Knowing how right the Magician was, they all left the Magic. Vega left back for his office at police headquarters and Rika left with her family, Zelda, and Renaldo for the hotel. Soon, only the regular residents of the Express remained.   
Angie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Man, I can't believe what I had to do to get Friedrichs off our back."   
"That was so cool, Ang," said Cosmo excitedly. "Least now we don't have to put up with the captain against the rotten Digimon."   
"Right. I'm so worn out, though."   
Ace simply said, "Get some rest, Angie. We can handle dinner for now."   
"Thanks, guys." 

Later that night, Rika, unable to sleep, stood out on the balcony of her room.   
Renamon appeared to her. "You're troubled, Rika. Tell me, what's wrong?"   
"Renamon, do you really think we can stop the Digimon here in Electro City?"   
"Yes. We have each other, help from our new friends, and the support of your own family and friends. We must have faith in ourselves to defeat the D-Reaper's minions."   
"Yeah, I know. It's just that…I actually thought we could get away from all the problems back home. I guess that was just a lie, huh?"   
"An unintentional lie. No one here could have foreseen the appearance of Digimon here in Electro City. We're very lucky to be allied with two powerful magicians who can help us as best they can. However, there is one person I'm a little concerned about."   
"Who?"   
"Their friend Cosmo. I mean, he explained about his incident with a digital character, even though _Raptor XII_ isn't a Digimon. I wonder if, accidentally, we have given him recurring nightmares as a result of the Digimon being here."   
"Hmm, I never thought about that." 


	5. Mega Level Troubles

Making Digi-Magic   
Part 5: Mega-Level Troubles

In his room within the Magic Express, Cosmo tossed and turned with sleeping problems. He could not help but think about his own digital encounter with the computer character Raptor XII.   
"No…not…not again," he panted in nervous breath. "You're gone…leave me alone…"   
_In his dreamscape, Cosmo saw nothing but darkness. "What…what is this? Where am I?"_   
_ "In your worst nightmare!" shouted the angry voice of a strange person with an evil laugh._   
_ "I-it can't be! You were sent back to your computer world!"_   
_ "Who cares?" The stranger approached Cosmo out of the shadows and revealed himself to be twice the young man's size and tremendously built. His face was huge but very ugly. "You're mine, human germ!"_   
_ "Raptor XII!? Get away from me!" The young man then ran for his life as the computer character started shooting at him. "You're not real! Go away!"_   
_ "I _am_ real…in your mind! As long as you keep seeing digital characters all around you, I will not rest until I've had my revenge on you…Major!"_   
_ "Digital char—of course, the Digimon!" Stopping with a skid, he said, "You're wrong, Raptor XII! The Digimon aren't just digital characters…they're real beings from the Digital World! I should know, I've met a great one in Renamon! Sure, the others I've met are bad to the bone like you, but I'm not going to let you come back into the real world!"_   
_ "How foolish you are, human," Raptor XII said with a rotten chuckle. "You are no match for me. Your friend Ace Cooper may have bettered me once, but he will not do so again. I shall start my reign of revenge…with you!" He came up and grabbed Cosmo by his waist. "You will pay for doing this to me, Major!"_   
_ Cosmo screamed in terror. "No! Let me go…let me go! It's not my fault!"_   
_ "You shouldn't have played it when you weren't 18 at the time. Now I can crush you like a bug!"_   
_ The young man was on the verge of losing consciousness when he suddenly heard another voice scream out, **"Hand of Fate!"**_   
_ A blinding ray of light missed Cosmo by just inches but completely destroyed Raptor XII, making Cosmo fall to the ground._   
_ "What…was that?" he asked curiously._   
_ "It's all right," said the friendlier stranger. "I am a friend."_   
That wasn't Ace,_ thought Cosmo. "Who are you?"_   
_ "I will tell you when the time is right. However, you must listen to me. Your fear of Raptor XII will affect your ability to help fight the evil Digimon. I can tell you now the next Digimon to appear in your world will be a mega-level Digimon."_   
_ "Mega level? Does that mean it's higher than ultimate?"_   
_ "Yes. I cannot tell you who or where. You must rely on the others' abilities to find it. You must not let your incident with Raptor XII scare you. The D-Reaper can see your worst fears…"_   
_ "What? How?"_   
_ "You must come to terms with your soul about Raptor XII. Please, just trust me."_   
Cosmo soon jolted out of bed in heavy breath. "What was that all about?" he asked nervously. "How can I ever come to terms with seeing Raptor XII when the Digimon keep showing up?" 

Back in the Digital World, the being known as the D-Reaper saw what had happened. "Ah, useful information at last. It seems the human boy known as Cosmo fears the Digimon because of his own experience with a digital being. Even though the being was not a Digimon, it still spooks him greatly. This could be helpful to our cause." It then called out to Boltmon. "Listen to me…I want you to capture the human boy named Cosmo. Be cautious, for he works closely with the two special humans along with the human tamer and her Digimon partner."   
"Just capture him, great one?" asked Boltmon curiously.   
"Yes…his fear of the Digimon through this character known as _Raptor XII_ may be useful in destroying Earth. Do everything you can, use destructive tactics if need be. Just capture him and make his fear work for us."   
Boltmon bowed in respect. "It shall be done, Master."   
He soon saw a data stream coming his way. "Ah, at last, I shall go into the real world and find this boy who will help _our_ cause…as the girl from Japan has been helpful to us so far."   
The data stream acted like a dimensional portal. Upon being directly over him, the green light stretched him so far out. "Real world, look out! Here I come!" 

A couple of hours later in the real world, Angie had cooked breakfast for her friends while Cosmo did his best to explain the mysterious dream. "It was so weird, this light destroyed Raptor XII, but he warned me about the D-Reaper seeing my worst fears."   
Ace tried to make sense of the dream. "Perhaps someone in the digital world wants to warn you or something."   
"Dude, that's impossible. I don't have that kinda power. I don't have any magic at all."   
Angie turned and said, "Oh, yes, you do. Magic can be found within each and every one of us, but some of us tap into it easier than others. Remember that time in Japan?"   
Cosmo realized she could be right. "Yeah, I do remember. It took all of us finding our own magic to stop the Dark Princess before. But…it still doesn't make any sense."   
"Think about it, Cosmo. You're still having trouble overcoming your situation with Raptor XII, even though it's been over five years since you dealt with him."   
He nodded as he put his face down. "I still can't believe what happened then."   
Ace patted his longtime friend on the shoulder. "Cosmo, you're still feeling guilty about the whole situation…not telling me the truth about playing the game, trying to fight him all by yourself. I was upset at the time, but I was able to forgive you because it wasn't completely your fault. Everything timed out at the same moment. You played the game, I worked on the holographic program, and lightning struck the Express at the same time. The two programs came together by a force of nature, not by you."   
"Still, I shouldn't have done it."   
"You've got to let go of that guilt you're carrying," said Angie. "Remember what I've been through. In a way, you're burying your worst fear instead of facing it."   
"Angie, this isn't your parents. I'm talking about a dangerous character who came to life."   
"I know that. You still think you're responsible for his showing up and terrorizing Electro City. You wanted to deal with it alone, like I wanted to deal with my own pain alone instead of relying on my friends. You can talk to us, Cosmo, you know that."   
"Yeah, I guess so." He looked at his friends with a smile. "I need help."   
Ace said, "That's the first step, acknowledgement. You understand what you're afraid of, so let's see where we can take it from there."   
Just as Cosmo started discussing ideas of dealing with his troubles, Angie suddenly clutched her head.   
Cosmo and Ace both knew what that meant. "Digimon," they said simultaneously.   
She kneeled to the floor and continued holding her head. "Big one…this time." _Renamon, did you feel that just now?_   
In the hotel room, Renamon easily felt its presence while Rika's Digivice glowed brightly again. _Yes, Angie, I did. This must be a mega-level Digimon._   
_ Mega level?_   
_ Yes, the highest form a Digimon can take. This one, however, is bad._   
_ Both Angel and Vega should be able to pick it up on the sensors anytime now._   
Soon, Angel in holographic form appeared in front of them all. "Electrical disturbance detected. Another Digimon is crossing over into the real world."   
"What's the location?" asked Ace in concern.   
"Location this time…City Hall."   
"Oh, no. The Digimon will be breathing down Senator Dobbs's neck."   
Angie nodded and then sent a telepathic message to Renamon. _Digimon will be at City Hall. Follow my thoughts and meet us there on the double._   
_ We're on our way, Angie._ "Rika, City Hall. Let's move."   
"Right."   
Mishara looked at her granddaughter and her friend. "Please be careful, both of you."   
"Don't worry, Grandma. We'll be fine. I promise."   
After jumping down to the ground, Renamon digivolved to Kyubimon, which allowed Rika to jump on her back.   
Rika then asked, "Uh, how do we find City Hall?"   
"I follow Angie's thoughts to City Hall. She just told me that's also the mayor's office."   
"Who's the mayor?"   
"Senator Dobbs, the same human who wanted Lieutenant Vega's less-than-helpful chief to handle this mess."   
"If that's the case, I hope to see Lieutenant Vega at the scene and not Captain Friedrichs."   
"So do I, Rika. So do I." 

At police headquarters, Vega was in the electronics room keeping an eye on things when one of the officers said something of importance.   
"Lieutenant, it's happening again. There's another strange electrical field."   
"It's another Digimon," Vega whispered. "Where is it?"   
"It's at…City Hall this time."   
"On Dobbs's back. Okay, I'm taking some police cars with me, but there isn't much we can do."   
"How do you know that, sir?"   
"I know some people…with experience."   
When Vega passed by Friedrichs's office, the chief stopped him. "Where do you think you're going, Vega?"   
"There's been another report of an electrical disturbance, this time at City Hall."   
"You're not in charge of this investigation!"   
"Uh, sir, I believe I _am_, remember?"   
Friedrichs was about to say something when he realized, "Oh, um, yes, that's right. I did put you in charge of this, so get going already!"   
When Vega ran off, he thought, _Angie's hypnosis is still working. Good, now we won't have anything to worry about, and we can deal with the Digimon properly this time._   
He went to his car and immediately called for ten back-up cars to assist at the scene. "Ace and the others know about it by now. Meantime I hope Rika's mom and Zelda aren't at City Hall."   
The lieutenant then contacted Ace and his friends. "Ace, did Angel get the disturbance?"   
"Yeah, so did Ang and Renamon. From her telepathic contact with Renamon, it looks like we're in for an even _bigger_ Digimon than before. Something called _mega-level_."   
"Oh, brother. I wonder how Dobbs will be able to handle this…" 

At the mayor's office in City Hall, Senator Evan Dobbs prepared for another long day of the usual telephone calls, death threats, and the like. His had the _appearance_ of a glamorous job, yet it was far from that ideal job. Dobbs was more of a corrupted individual, making dirty deals during his term of office. He made certain, though, that his charm would do wonders to hide the real truth about him.   
"Hmm, I'd better have Miss Lindquist check on that account involving the new greyhound track I'm building. The last thing I need is another Bill Peach."   
Dobbs referred to an incident where a man named Bill Peach tried to force him to tell the truth about embezzling millions of dollars for the construction of the Circus Amusement Park outside the city. When Peach made his demands on television, Dobbs was willing to risk tens of thousands of lives…just to keep from telling the truth.   
The mayor then pressed a button on his personal intercom. "Miss Lindquist, I need to see you about that greyhound track, please."   
"Yes, sir." Entering the office was a young woman in her late 20s with short red hair. Clad in a light green dress specifically for the secretarial type, Shirley Lindquist had been as loyal a secretary as she could be, despite the fact she knew a lot of the truth about her supervisor. "So…the greyhound track account needs checking?"   
"Yes, Miss Lindquist. I want to make sure the dummy accounts are going exactly the way they should be."   
"I'll check on that right away." She started walking by when she noticed through the window the sky suddenly fogging. "That's strange. I checked this morning's forecast on Sensa-News. There wasn't fog reported anywhere in Electro City."   
She thought nothing of it and walked away…until she heard a terrifying laugh. She looked out again and noticed something very big. "Senator, there's a huge monster outside the window."   
Dobbs looked at her as though she had finally lost her mind. "What are you talking about, Miss Lindquist?"   
"There's a rather foreboding humanoid shape of about 20 feet tall appearing just outside the window. Should I alert security?"   
Dobbs went to look for himself. "There is no such thing as a…20-foot…monster!?" He then saw the Frankenstein-like creature. "Oh, my God…not another crazy character! Get the police _now_!"   
"Yes, Senator." She ran back into her office and called for the police. "There's a monster attacking City Hall."   
"Don't worry, Miss Lindquist," said Friedrichs on the other end. "I've already got units on the way there to deal with the situation."   
In less than five minutes, Vega and his officers arrived on the scene. When he stepped out of the car, he could not believe his eyes. "Good Lord…these digital beings are getting bigger and more dangerous with every turn!" He then looked at the other officers. "Do _not_ make a move for now. There's only a select few who really know how to deal with this monster. We have to wait for them." 

Meanwhile, Zelda and Rumiko were busy doing more of their own photo shoot. City Hall was _not_ a part of the itinerary.   
"I am so glad we can still do the shoot," said a relieved Renaldo, "even if we have to change locations with these…Digimon coming through at the wrong moments."   
Zelda noticed to her left something very strange. "What on Earth is…_that_?"   
"What's what?" asked Rumiko as she faced the same direction. "Oh, no…not this. Not here. I thought we could get away from that…stuff!"   
Renaldo became very concerned. "What _is_ that stuff?"   
"It's the Chaos. Somehow it's followed Rika and Renamon here…to Electro City! We have to get out of here and get to the shelter of a nearby park. That stuff dissolves everything in its path, except for any place with trees and shrubbery."   
Zelda, knowing her way around the city, decided, "We will take refuge in Keaton Park. It's not very far from here, and there are plenty of trees to give us some kind of shelter."   
Renaldo nodded. "Very well, ladies. Let us take our photo shoot to Keaton Park and pick up there."   
They all went into Renaldo's car and left for the park.   
Rumiko could not help but worry about her daughter. _If I know Rika, she knows what's going on. Oh, sweetie, just be careful if you're facing a Digimon now. It's up to you, Renamon, and your new friends. I love you, Rika._

Moments later, the Magic Racer and Kyubimon with Rika showed up at City Hall.   
Ace and his friends jumped out of the Racer to a frightening sight.   
"Man," said Cosmo as he noticed the size of the Digimon, "who is _that_?"   
Rika took out her Digivice to get the information. "Come on, come on…got it! It's Boltmon, android data Digimon. This mega can use that giant axe to slice and dice with his Tomahawk Crunch attack."   
"Kyubimon won't be enough this time," Angie realized. "We're going to need Taomon at least."   
"Gotcha covered!" Rika took out a card which suddenly changed into a blue card. "Ready, Kyubimon?"   
"You bet. Go for it, Rika!"   
Scanning the blue card through her Digivice, the tamer screamed, **_"Matrix Digivolution Activate!"_**   
**_ "Kyubimon digivolve to…Taomon!"_** The ultimate level Digimon was ready for the battle. "You may be a mega, but you're no match for me or the magicians!"   
Inside, Senator Dobbs noticed all the police and saw Kyubimon change forms. "If this is supposed to be part of a movie, then I'm not impressed by any means!"   
Lindquist reminded, "Senator, there _isn't_ a movie being shot here in Electro City right now. No film can be made here without your approval, remember?"   
"Miss Lindquist…did you have to remind me of that policy _now?_" He then looked outside the window and noticed none of the police doing anything. "What are they waiting for!?" He then pressed another button on his desk to communicate directly with Vega. "Shoot that thing down, Vega!"   
"With all due respect, Senator," Vega said annoyingly into his radio, "we're not equipped to handle the situation. However, Taomon, Rika, Ace, and Angie may be our best hope right now. Just leave it to them."   
Dobbs then noticed something else different. "Vega, I put Friedrichs in charge of this investigation!"   
"He's got no experience with Digimon. I've got a little more than him right now."   
"Digimon…is that what these weird things are called?"   
"I wouldn't call them weird things, sir. Rika doesn't take that kind of name-calling very well. Now, you and the other employees need to evacuate City Hall immediately."   
"You don't have to tell me that twice, Lieutenant." Dobbs turned to his secretary. "We need to leave now."   
"After you, Senator."   
"Thanks, Miss Lindquist." He then started running like a scared chicken.   
As Lindquist started making her exit, she mumbled, "Why do I have to put up with _him_ as mayor?"   
Meanwhile, on the outside, Boltmon stared at the humans. "Pathetic. You humans are such weaklings."   
"You're gonna find out just how strong we really are, scum!" yelled Cosmo angrily. "Rika?"   
"Get him, Taomon!"   
She started with her Thousand Spells attack to at least try to slow him down.   
Unfortunately, Boltmon showed no signs of any harm or damage. "I thought you were stronger than that, but then being with a human who controls you does nothing but hold you back, doesn't it?" He then took out the large battle axe. "I'll show you how free I am to do this…**_Tomahawk Crunch!_**"   
He slammed his axe into the ground, creating not only a huge earthquake in the immediate vicinity but also sparks of dangerous lightning.   
Taomon had to float back to Rika to protect her from the lightning but received a slight shock herself. "Ow!"   
"Are you all right?"   
"Just a little tingle," responded the ultimate-level Digimon. "I'll be okay."   
Ace, Cosmo, and Angie all sought shelter behind one of the police cars.   
Ace then looked at his friends. "I think it's time for the _Thunder_ gear."   
"The what?" Angie questioned with confusion.   
"Oh, you've never seen Cosmo and me in anything besides what we normally wear. For certain situations, we need special equipment and clothing. I'll send the image of me in the thunder outfit into your mind." Ace then closed his eyes.   
Angie telepathically received the image. "I understand. Do I get an odd outfit?"   
"Yes, you do. And all it'll take for the change is a throw of my cape!" The Magician grabbed the cape with his right hand and threw it around himself, causing him to suddenly change from his regular clothing into a different costume. The bodysuit was the same style as his crimefighting costume, but, with the exception of the red half-face and yellow eye, the color scheme was far different, mostly blue. In addition to the costume, he had special armor around his chest, back, and lower legs, along with special protective goggles around his eyes.   
The cape next surrounded Cosmo, which changed his regular outfit into one of mostly blue itself. The major differences between his costume and Ace's was that it was not as body-fitted, and he did not have gloves to wear. He was also equipped with protective armor around his chest and lower waist.   
As for Angie, she had no idea what to expect with the cape coming her way. "Uh, what should I do, Ace?"   
"Just picture yourself in what you want to wear. The cape will do the rest."   
Angie focused her thoughts on her own unique thunder costume. "I've got it. I'm ready."   
"Okay, cape, make your move!"   
The cape surrounded Angie, where she felt herself changing into her own custom-designed costume. In mere seconds, she was in a uniquely blue outfit, with her own special goggles and protective armor around her chest, back, and lower legs. It was almost the same as Ace's, but the armor was different. "Yeah…exactly the way I wanted it."   
Rika and Taomon noticed the three friends standing up.   
Taomon's eyes went very wide. "How did they change clothing so fast?"   
"How else? They have magic."   
Ace said loudly, "Okay, Boltmon, see how you like dealing with all three of us at the same time!" He suddenly made a strange gun appear in his right hand. "Time to fight electricity with electricity!"   
Angie soon made a smaller electrical gun appear in her right hand. "I'm ready when you are!"   
"So am I!" Cosmo placed his hands on the side controls near his waist, which controlled rockets in the upper part of his chest armor. "You're goin' down, Boltmon!"   
Boltmon realized, _That boy with the spiky hair. He must be the one called Cosmo. The D-Reaper wants him alive. I will get him alive…even if I have to destroy everything else._ He swung his axe again and screamed, "Tomahawk Crunch!"   
Another potentially dangerous earthquake and a series of dangerous lightning strikes again created havoc in the vicinity. At least four of the police vehicles suffered major damage from the combination.   
Vega became concerned for the safety of his fellow officers. "Everyone stay back! What he can do is more dangerous than any of the others."   
Ace, Cosmo, and Angie all started walking forward.   
"No, don't!" said Vega.   
"Don't worry," Ace noted seriously. "We can get him." He then turned to his female counterpart. "When we fire our weapons, it'll be up to you to amplify the power with your magic. Think you can handle it?"   
"I've never done this before, but I'm game!"   
"Good. Now, stand by to fire your weapons. Ready…aim…_fire!_"   
All three fired their unique weapons toward Boltmon, but Angie concentrated her magical powers on making the force into a ball of light strong enough to possibly destroy the mega-level Digimon. "Stronger…_stronger!_"   
She was able to tap into the darker part of her being, which she welcomed after burying it for more than eight years. _I just hope this works._   
_ Don't worry,_ said the voice of her darker shadow, one only she could hear. _You're doing fine, Angie. Just don't give up. He must go down!_   
As her eyes began to glow, she was more determined than ever. "The damage will _stop…**here and now!**_"   
The powerful glowing light became larger and stronger with the guidance of her magic.   
When all the power finally struck Boltmon, he felt it hard. "No! This cannot be…three humans!? How can three measly humans be able to stop me!?"   
"We're not the ones doing that," said Angie. "Taomon will finish this job. Take him out!"   
She floated up into the sky and had her giant paintbrush come out of her right arm. "Say good night, Boltmon, because you're history! **_Talisman…of Light!_**"   
Her arms in motion, she made the symbol appear again. The symbol then penetrated Boltmon completely, which soon caused him to disintegrate.   
"No…I've failed!" he yelled just before he completely disappeared.   
Vega and the police officers cheered the efforts of the two magicians, Cosmo, Rika, and Taomon. "That was well done, guys!"   
However, just as Cosmo was about to take off his goggles, something suddenly flew in and grabbed him! "Hey, what the—help! Guys, help me!"   
"Cosmo!" Rika yelled. "Hey, you bring him back right now!"   
The huge winged creature suddenly disappeared as soon as it got what it needed.   
Angie was completely appalled by what had just happened. "Cosmo…no. Why him?"   
As Taomon reverted back into Renamon once more, she tried to come up with an answer. "The D-Reaper knows how to take advantage of someone's guilt. I think it knew about Cosmo's deepest feelings towards data-like characters."   
"Raptor XII," said Ace. "The D-Reaper knew how he felt about dealing with Raptor XII. That's why that monster kidnapped him! The D-Reaper wants to use that guilt to its advantage." He then turned to Rika. "There wasn't enough time to get any info from your Digivice, was there?"   
"Unfortunately, no. It takes at least 10 seconds before I can get it."   
"But," said Angie in grave concern, "how come I couldn't sense it coming? I've been able to sense Digimon before, but why couldn't I do it this time?"   
Renamon figured it out. "Of course! The D-Reaper knew you could sense Digimon coming without any Digivice. The solution was to send another Digimon into the real world while you were kept busy fighting. Your mind was preoccupied with stopping Boltmon…and you look pretty tired."   
"This D-Reaper thinks it's clever, doesn't it? There's got to be a way to find Cosmo. A 25-foot monster can't just disappear into thin air."   
"Angie, wait," said Ace seriously. "I can tell you're exhausted right now. We'll go back to the Magic Express so you can recuperate while we try to figure out a strategy for rescuing Cosmo."   
Vega checked his fellow officers. "Anyone hurt?"   
"No, sir," said one of them clearly. "Four cars are severely damaged, but no one is seriously injured."   
"Good. Take all the undamaged cars back to headquarters. I'll clean up over here."   
"Right, sir. Let's go, everyone. We've done all we can here."   
As soon as the officers left, Senator Dobbs came out fuming at Vega. "I told you Friedrichs was supposed to be in charge of this investigation."   
"Senator, Friedrichs has never dealt with Digimon before. I have a little more experience. The police and military can't stop the Digimon alone."   
"And just how do you know that, Lieutenant?"   
"Just ask Ace, Angie, Rika, and Renamon here. They all stopped what's-his-name before he could destroy City Hall. Be fortunate the damage was just to four vehicles and the parking lot."   
"I want that yellow thing arrested for property damage!"   
Angie vehemently said, "You are not going to arrest Renamon! She's done nothing except help us through all this mess. If she's not here to help us out, the entire city could be in danger. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole _world_ is in danger because of this menace."   
"You mean…it's not just here?"   
"No, it's not," answered Rika calmly. "The situation in Japan is much worse. The Shinjuku District back in Tokyo has been completely ravaged by a red-like ooze. Nothing, not even the military can stop it." When she looked past the horizon, she noticed something rapidly building. "Oh, no…there's more red ooze, and it's here this time! The Chaos has come here!"   
Miss Lindquist also noticed the ooze. "This isn't good. Is there anything we can do?"   
Ace contacted Angel through his watch. "Angel, have your sensors detected this red goo-like substance?"   
"Yes, Ace. I am already calculating the location of the substance source." A few seconds later the AI came up with the location. "The source of this red ooze seems to be in the direction of the Grand Canal, approximately 15 miles west of the Magic Express."   
"That's where Cosmo would hang out when he was with the Company of Wolves before…I bet that large creature took him there, but what will they do to him?"   
Rika said, "Anything and everything to make him scared more. The same thing has happened to another friend of mine named Jeri. When we all returned from the Digital World, she wasn't the same as when we went there. She's been carrying a lot of guilt because her mother died. Her father hasn't been exactly the best help for her, either. Takato told us about the change in her attitude after he dropped her off with her family back home."   
"Cosmo may still have some guilty feelings," said Ace, "but he'll never break under pressure. Whoever kidnapped him won't be able to crack him. Despite the fact he's an adult now, he still acts like a kid at times…a tough and determined kid."   
"That could be helpful to us," said Renamon. "However, we cannot get through that red ooze to reach him. There must be a way for us to rescue Cosmo without getting hurt ourselves."   
Angie, still tired out from her exertion, stated, "If I can…just get my strength back, I may…be able to track that Digimon telepathically."   
Ace then noticed, "Wait a minute…we forgot about Zina! She could track Cosmo down. All she has to know is he's missing, and she'll start tracking him better than any radar system ever could."   
"That's right. Zina's our best shot at finding Cosmo, but even then, how are we going to get him away from the giant creep?"   
"That could prove very difficult. I mean, how can we fight a 25-foot monster that can quickly disappear because it is data?"   
"There's only one chance," said Renamon gravely. "Rika, you and I must be able to biomerge here, in the real world."   
"Here? How? We're not in the Digital World, and that's been the only place we could do it."   
Ace and Angie looked at the pair confusedly. "Biomerge?" asked Ace. "What is that?"   
Renamon explained, "Rika and I have been able to biomerge in the Digital World. We basically come together as one being, which creates my mega-level form of _Sakuyamon_."   
"So, to do this biomerge, the two of you must be together, right?"   
"Right. As Rika noted, though, we're not in the Digital World this time. There's no way we can do it here in the real world."   
Angie felt more tired. "I…need to rest. I'm sorry if I'm slowing things down for the rest of you."   
Ace decided to carry her back to the car. "Don't apologize, Angie. You need some rest right now while we try to work out a rescue plan."   
"Thanks, Ace."   
With enough room in the Racer, Rika and Renamon joined Ace and Angie and left for the Magic Express to work out some kind of plan to rescue their captured friend. 

As for Cosmo himself, he had lost consciousness when the large creature flew so fast he could not keep up mentally speaking. He had no idea where he was, but he started having the strange dream again.   
_Raptor XII ran after the young man once again. "Where do you think you're going, Major? I have a score to settle with you!"_   
_ "Look, for the last time, it's not my fault! I realize that now! Why won't you just leave me alone!?"_   
_ "Because you're still scared of me, even though you'll never admit it to your closest friends, those you call a family."_   
_ "That's enough!" the young man screamed. "I've had enough of you, jerk! You're still a bullheaded creep with a face so ugly you'll never make the cover of any magazine!"_   
_ The last comment got the digital-like character very angry. "You will not be so defiant and insolent when I'm done with you, Major!"_   
_ "Look, Raptor XII, what happened with you and me was more than five years earlier. I want to let it go."_   
_ "But you can't because you see all the reminders around you…all these digital characters."_   
_ "You just don't get it, do you? The Digimon are not digital characters out of a video game. They're real beings who come from the Digital World. Rika's been a good friend to me, and so has her Digimon partner Renamon. The past is the past, and I am ready to let it go…**now!**"_   
_ Suddenly, the voice of the stranger screamed, **"Hand of Fate!"** The light again destroyed Raptor XII, and this time the effects seemed permanent. "Well done, my friend. The fear you had of Raptor XII is finally gone completely. I'm sorry that at the moment you are a prisoner to a mega-level Digimon."_   
_ "In the real world? Man, I don't even remember anything since I was grabbed out of the blue. I must've passed out in the process. But…who are you, really? It's the second time I've heard those words."_   
_ "I know. I want to be able to help you and your friends, but I cannot leave the Digital World. So far, Rika and Renamon have proven themselves, but it will take more than them alone. Your closest friends will be needed to stop the Chaos from spreading here in Electro City."_   
_ "The Chaos? What's that?"_   
_ "A red goo-like substance that will destroy everything here like it is already doing in Tokyo."_   
_ "So, this major threat isn't just here?"_   
_ "No. This threat is becoming worldwide."_   
_ "Man, I've got to get outta here. I'm gonna find out for myself just where I am!"_   
Cosmo finally opened his eyes and noticed a strange wolf symbol. "I don't believe it…I'm in the old warehouse again!? Man, what is with me and this warehouse?"   
"Good question, human," said the nasty female voice.   
"Who are you!? What do you want with me!?"   
The 25-foot Digimon stepped forward, much to Cosmo's complete shock. "I am Creepymon." She looked like a very ugly bat with a longer left arm, red talons on her hands and feet, and one single talon on each of her wings. She also had a star outlined on her left arm. "We know about your slight fear of digital characters, especially Raptor XII, someone you had to deal with approximately five Earth years ago."   
"How…how could you know that?" _The D-Reaper can see your worst fears…_he remembered hearing in his first dream. _Aw, man, that D-Reaper thing's trying to take advantage of me, but I'm not gonna let that happen…I'm getting outta here right now!_ He struggled desperately to free himself of the bonds which kept him tied to the chair.   
"It's no good, human. I have made sure you do not have enough strength to get free. You have useful information, that tells us humans only have a desire for total destruction."   
"That's not true! Not all humans are that way!"   
"What about you, human? You were the one who brought that character to life, the one which terrorized this city five years before."   
"I _know_ that! I've admitted to the mistake already, and all my friends have forgiven me for it! The only person I wasn't forgiving was myself. I wanted to carry all of that mess for the rest of my life, but they told me to let go of it. I'm going to let go of it!"   
"Nice try, human, but deep in your soul you still carry the pain of what you caused, and you always will."   
"No!" Cosmo screamed. "Whatever you're planning to do with me, my friends will come and get me outta here before I'll help you with your rotten scheme!"   
"How? Your friends don't know where you are…and they never will. We will make you cooperate with us and prove once and for all that humans have no place on this or _any_ world, using Digimon the way some have!"   
"Never! I'll never help you! You'll have to kill me first!"   
"If you don't cooperate, human…that option may be put into consideration. I will let you think things over for now. Rest well, human!" Creepymon laughed nastily as she left him alone.   
"Aw, man, what am I gonna do now? I can't get out of here, and the others don't know where I am." 

When Ace and the others returned to the Magic, Zina growled in discontent when she noticed Cosmo was not with them.   
Ace kneeled down to Zina and said, "Girl, listen. Cosmo's in trouble. We need you to track him down for us. Angie's very weak right now and can't help find the Digimon who kidnapped him. Find his scent, please."   
The panther scratched at the front door, as she wanted to get out and locate Cosmo's scent.   
Ace, still carrying Angie in his arms, asked Rika to open the door.   
When Zina jumped out the door, she quickly picked up the scent and started running.   
Rika knew how fast panthers could be, so she had Renamon digivolve into Kyubimon to keep up with Zina. Ace took Angie on the Magic Bike to keep with the others.   
Even though Angie felt very tired after what she did earlier, she did her best to keep her eyes open. "Will…we find him?"   
"Zina will find him, I promise."   
The only thing the team was not expecting would be just how dangerous this rescue was about to become…since they had to get very close to the Chaos to find him… 


	6. Blessed Are They

Making Digi-Magic   
The Conclusion: Blessed Are They

Cosmo was a prisoner to the large Digimon known as Creepymon, who wanted to make him remember his nightmare from the past, a nightmare involving the dangerous computer character known as _Raptor XII_.   
The Chaos, a red jelly-like substance, began growing rapidly all over Electro City, forcing people to evacuate some neighborhoods. Even the hardened crime bosses Sonny Boy Surge and "Black Jack" Malone were forced into helping out, sheltering thousands of people from the affected neighborhoods.   
Kendra Rayler was busier than she had ever been as the star reporter for Sensa-News. "This strange red substance seems to be expanding very quickly throughout the city. I have been checking with other sources from all over the world, and I have learned that this same substance is in Tokyo, Japan, also. Why this is happening I don't know. All I can report are the facts. The mayor has asked that all affected areas from 27th to 43rd Streets be evacuated along the Grand Canal. That seems to be the source of this material. So far, military and police efforts have failed to stop the advancement of this material, and it seems all hope may be lost."   
While this was going on, the beautiful panther Zina was tracking down Cosmo's scent in the hopes of finding him. Ace and Angie on the Magic Bike were going behind her, as was Rika riding on Kyubimon.   
Angie was weakened considerably by the amount of energy she had to use to help in defeating Boltmon, but she was not going to allow anything to happen to Cosmo, either. "Come on, Zina," she whispered, "you can find him. I trust you."   
However, Zina starting going so fast the others were unable to keep up with her.   
This situation forced the others to stop.   
"Hey," Rika said, "where'd she go?"   
Kyubimon answered, "I don't know. It's like she just disappeared."   
Ace shook his head. "No…if I know Zina, she's running very fast now because she _knows_ where Cosmo is. Unfortunately, we didn't put a tracking device on her collar this time, so we have no idea where she's gone. I just hope she'll be all right."   
"I just hope she doesn't run into the Chaos," said a worried Rika. "The last thing we need is two friends being lost to it."   
Zina ran everywhere through the mysteriously quiet streets and was able to get past every police barricade set up to stop the Chaos.   
Of course, the Chaos continued expanding with agents coming out everywhere against the police, which caused even Captain Friedrichs to think he was losing his own mind. "This isn't possible! How come we can't stop this thing!? It's only red jelly!"   
"Oh, really?" said Vega in a deadly serious tone. "Then why are we seeing these floating-eye things? Something tells me Rika and Renamon were exactly right. There's no way we can stop this thing at all."   
Back in the warehouse, Cosmo struggled desperately to get himself free from Creepymon. "I've got…to get…outta here!"   
"Save your strength, human," said the monster. "We will need that strength of your guilt to carry out the D-Reaper's plans. Besides, I don't want Milleniummon to get all the glory."   
"Milleniummon? Who's that?"   
"An egotistical maniac who _thinks_ he has it good with the D-Reaper. How he ever was second-in-command I'll never know. His attack is nothing compared to mine."   
_A jealous Digimon?_ Cosmo thought. _Now I've seen everything. Hmm, I wonder if I can take advantage of this opportunity._ "Say, just how big is Milleniummon anyway?"   
"Him, he's about 10 feet taller than me. He's all talk and no action, though. _I_ could take care of this part of the world myself."   
"Well, size is an advantage," the young man spoke casually, as if he wanted to carry on a conversation. "What about attacks? I mean, Blossomon had her Spiral Flower and Boltmon had his Tomahawk Crunch. What about you?"   
"Mine is the Flame Inferno, capable of burning everything in its path. Milleniummon has his Dimension Destroyer, but that doesn't do half the damage as my flames could. I could burn this city in a matter of seconds. His attack takes forever."   
"Maybe, but don't you think you're being just a bit jealous? I mean, he's got the size and strength over you."   
"He does not! Just because he is bigger and stronger doesn't mean he's better than me! I have the best chance of destroying this place called Electro City…and don't you ever forget that, human." Creepymon then looked at him coldly. "I will get what I want from you, and your guilt will give the D-Reaper even more power to destroy this world."   
Cosmo reacted angrily with her. "You'll _never_ get me to help you, ya hear me!? **_Never!_**"   
"Watch your tongue, insolent human child, before I decide to burn that tongue permanently!"   
"_Child!?_ For your information, I'm 21 years old. I'm not a kid anymore!"   
"Do you expect me to believe that, human? Only a child would have been able to bring _Raptor XII_ to life, and it was you. Your guilt will be the key to the D-Reaper's domination and destruction of this world."   
"I already told you that was over four years ago! When will you ever listen!?" He then muttered, "Heh, it's obvious some Digimon have absolutely _no_ brains whatsoever."   
Creepymon turned and snapped, "What did you say, human!?"   
"You heard me. Some Digimon have no brains…and you're one of those who severely lacks the brains!"   
That comment was about to send Creepymon over the edge. "How dare you talk to me that way, human! I am far more powerful than you are, and you and your kind will no longer have a place in this world!"   
"I've got news for you, Creepy-dumb. We humans have things that you could never understand…courage, compassion, determination, spirit, love. Sure we've had destructive wars for centuries, but I know that not everyone believes the same thing in the same form or fashion. If we all were the same, the world wouldn't be half as exciting as it is. People question things all the time."   
"And much of the time it leads to destruction and chaos."   
"That may be true, but the things that _never_ see the light of day are individuals who make a difference, even with just a smile to someone feeling down, that can make a huge difference for that person. I know…a smile on Angie's face can brighten anyone's day. Instead of looking at things so negatively, we have to find the positives in life. That's the only way we can live in our world peacefully."   
"Human…that is the _worst_ thing I have ever heard in my entire life! Positives in life…a smile brightening everyone's day. There's no such thing!"   
"That D-Reaper's got you blinded, sister."   
"You dare to taunt my master!? I will show you a thing or two about respect, human!" She then took a deep breath and screamed, **_"Flame Inferno!"_**   
The flames came from her mouth like a fire-breathing dragon and soon had Cosmo completely surrounded.   
On the Magic Bike, Angie sensed the presence of another Digimon, the one who kidnapped Cosmo. "Rika, I need to see your Digivice."   
"I don't understand."   
"I may be able to identify the Digimon by what I can see."   
"But…we have to see it to get info."   
Kyubimon said, "Just do it, Rika. Remember, Ace and Angie have powers we don't understand ourselves."   
"Good idea," said Ace. "Perhaps if I can see into Angie's mind, we can figure out who it is together."   
Rika handed Angie the Digivice, which the female magician held tightly with her right hand. Ace then took his right hand and grasped the device and her hand.   
The two glowed brightly in their respective auras of light blue and violet and were soon able to see the Digimon in their minds.   
Strangely, an image appeared on the Digivice itself. "Creepymon," Angie said in her entranced state. "Evil virus type…mega-level…attack…Flame Inferno. If Cosmo's stuck with that thing…he's in grave danger."   
Ace concentrated his mind to reach out to Zina. _Cosmo's in trouble, Zina. We can't follow you now because we're too close to the Chaos. You have to find him before he's burned alive by Creepymon. Be careful, girl._   
Zina heard her master's thoughts and was determined to find Cosmo before it was too late for him.   
Soon she came across the old Company of Wolves warehouse, where she saw it becoming engulfed in flames. She also noticed the red jelly substance sitting right on top of the Grand Canal, almost next door to the warehouse. The panther quickly jumped inside through the window and found Cosmo coughing badly. She growled loudly in order for him to hear.   
"Z-Zina?" Cosmo shouted. "No! There's nothing you can do here, you've gotta get outta here before it's too late!"   
Creepymon noticed the panther. "So, another dares to interfere with the D-Reaper's plans. You will die, four-legged creature!" She took a deep breath again. **_"Flame Inferno!"_**   
Zina managed to jump out of the way of the flames, but the fire began growing higher at every passing second.   
"Zina, get out of here!" yelled Cosmo desperately. "Man, I've gotta do something fast…otherwise we've bought it!"   
Suddenly, in the middle of the flames, a bright light shined at the top.   
"What trickery is this?" Creepymon screamed as she became blinded by the light.   
Cosmo looked up and saw something with at least six wings. "What is that?" When the strange thing became clearer, he realized, "It's an…angel? Am I already dead?"   
The angel answered, "No, Cosmo. You're still alive."   
_That voice…it's him, I'm sure of it!_ "Are you the one who's been with me in my dreams lately?"   
The angel landed on the ground and replied, "Yes, I am the one. I am Angemon. My time here is very short, but rest assured I have come to help you."   
"But…you don't look like you're anywhere near Creepymon's size. How can you defeat that mega-monster?"   
"I will not be able to…but your panther friend _will_ defeat Creepymon…and it will be up to _both of you_ to save Electro City from total destruction."   
"No way!" Cosmo shouted. "This has got to be some sorta weird nightmare! This _can't_ be real!" Then, Angemon floated towards him. "Stay away from me, you nutcase! You're crazy!"   
When Angemon touched his Angel Staff to Cosmo's forehead, the sheer fear caused Cosmo to pass out. "He may be a young man, but he has a child's heart. He has no idea what he is capable of yet. He will learn soon enough."   
Then, he floated over Zina and digivolved completely on his own! **_"Angemon digivolve to…MagnaAngemon!"_** Angemon had even more armor, eight wings instead of six, and a large sword in his right hand. He kneeled down and basically did a knighting ceremony with her. "Zina, take care of your friend, for you and he together will decide the fate of this city against the Chaos."   
Zina growled in content, for she now learned what she would have to do.   
Creepymon finally got her bearings back when she saw MagnaAngemon disappear. "I don't know what happened, but I will not let you ruin my plans you troublesome beast!"   
Zina let out an angry growl, as if she wanted to make Creepymon suffer for the pain caused to Cosmo. Strangely, she began to glow in a deep cerulean blue light and pictured a hoop in front of her. She then jumped through the imaginary hoop, which mysteriously created a strange doorway! The doors opened like an elevator, as if something or someone were supposed to pass through it.   
Creepymon looked at the gate in shock. "What…what is that?" She concentrated on the entrance so much she failed to notice that behind her Zina ran at top speed towards her!   
The panther quickly jumped as far as she could, putting all her strength into pushing Creepymon through the gate. The impact was so great on Zina that she rebounded and almost fell on her back.   
As for Creepymon, she fell forward, which resulted in her going through the entrance. "No! I cannot be defeated! I cannot lose to a living being!"   
After she disappeared into a strange dimension beyond, the doors quickly closed. The strange doors then dissolved away, leaving Zina and an unconscious Cosmo in the wake of the burning warehouse.   
Zina went to where he was and chewed through the bonds which held him. After he fell to the ground, she went underneath his stomach and lifted him over her body. Since he was not too heavy, Zina had no trouble carrying him out of the burning building.   
As the two managed to get away from the burning warehouse, the fire department arrived to quell the flames as best they could.   
In the meantime, Ace, Angie, Rika, and Kyubimon were still unable to locate Zina after they had lost track.   
Suddenly, Angie noticed a thick plume of smoke not too far away from the Grand Canal. "Oh, no. If Creepymon used that Flame Inferno…how will we find Zina and Cosmo now?" asked Angie in worry.   
Ace felt something strong within his mind. "Wait a second…I sense Zina." He closed his eyes to concentrate. "She's all right…and so is Cosmo. She's carrying him on her back!"   
"How do you know that?" Angie asked curiously. "Do you…have some kind of rapport with Zina, too?"   
Ace suddenly discovered that a little secret had been revealed by accident. "Oh, um, I guess I should tell you the truth. Remember back in Washington when you blocked me out?"   
"Yes, of course. I was trying to prevent you from figuring out where I was. Why?"   
"Because that's how I found you, with Zina's help. We have this link to each other, and Zina psychically found your scent."   
Angie gasped in shock over this revelation. "I had no idea…so if I try to block you off, Zina can make up for it, right?"   
"Yes. I hope you're not too upset over that."   
"Oh, no. I'm not. Right now, I'm just glad she and Cosmo escaped."   
Rika could not believe her ears either. "Wow…Ace is more of a mystery than I would've ever imagined."   
"Yes, Rika," noted Kyubimon, "but whatever we have heard here must never be told to anyone else. After all, there is the Magician's Creed, never to reveal any secrets."   
"Don't worry, this is one secret I can keep _real_ good. No point in ruining the fun."   
"I'm glad you feel that way, Rika. It seems they have made you a believer in magic." The four-legged Digimon then noticed something coming out of the shadows. "I think I see Zina and Cosmo coming this way! Yes, it's them!"   
Angie felt enough strength surging through her to run up to the panther and the unconscious young man. "Cosmo…are you all right?"   
When he slowly opened his eyes to see he had been surrounded by friends, he whispered, "How…how did I get here? The last thing…I remember was being trapped in the burning warehouse with Creepymon. And then Zina showed up…so did an angel. I thought I was dead…maybe it was all a really weird dream."   
"An angel?" asked Ace seriously. "Hmm, perhaps the fire did cause you to hallucinate for a little while."   
Cosmo then realized, "Hey, what happened to Creepymon?"   
Zina growled at Ace, giving the Magician an answer. "She said, 'I made sure she wouldn't cause anymore trouble.' I don't understand what she did exactly, but at least we won't have to deal with Creepymon again."   
Rika then noticed the Chaos not too far away. "It's getting bigger and bigger all the time. What are we going to do?"   
Suddenly, the ground beneath them all began shaking violently.   
"What's going on!?" shouted Kyubimon.   
Seemingly out of nowhere, a loud voice said, "Your world will be destroyed!"   
Angie saw a huge bubble within the Chaos. "What's _that_?"   
Through the bubble emerged a gigantic 35-foot Digimon with a huge cannon on top.   
The terror in Cosmo's voice was enough to bring shivers down the backs of all six friends. "It's him…Milleniummon. Creepymon told me about this guy."   
Rika looked at the Digivice for information on it. "Milleniummon…Composition Virus Digimon…definitely a Mega. The Dimension Destroyer attack he has could wipe Electro City off the map!"   
From his position about six miles away near the Croesus Palace, Captain Friedrichs saw the gigantic monster emerge. "Scramble all available units to the Grand Canal immediately! We'll show him that _no one_ comes into our city and messes it up!"   
Vega was on alert patrol when he heard the announcement in his car. "Friedrichs, you idiot! We can't fight this thing…it's a Digimon! We have to leave it to the experts!"   
Ace and the others considered what to do until they heard a missile striking Milleniummon. "No," said Ace, "they shouldn't! They don't understand they're no match for that Digimon, and an attack on him could make him angry enough to use that Dimension Destroyer!"   
"Foolish creatures!" yelled Milleniummon angrily. "You will have no world in which to live soon, I promise you! **_Dimension Destroyer!_**"   
A tremendous ball of light fired from the cannon on top of the monstrous Digimon. The light soon made a direct hit on the empty Sinsun Hotel, completely destroying it!   
"The D-Reaper will annihilate this pathetic world called Earth, and I will be triumphant alongside my master!"   
Rika noticed the situation and said, "We've got to do something now!"   
Kyubimon shook her head. "We can't…there's no way we can fight it unless we're at mega-level ourselves. There's no way we can biomerge here in the real world."   
With intense determination Angie stated, "No…there _is_ a way, but it'll take Ace and me to help you and Rika."   
"What do you mean?" Rika suddenly questioned. "How can you and Ace help us biomerge?"   
"By allowing our combined Magic Force to give you the power you need to biomerge into Sakuyamon."   
Ace nodded in agreement. "She's right. It's an extremely dangerous risk for us, but we have to take it. Sakuyamon may be our only hope in saving Electro City."   
Rika shook her head violently. "No! We're not going to let the two of you risk your lives to help us!" She then started to cry, fearing she could lose a couple of her newfound friends.   
Kyubimon reverted back into Renamon. "Rika, we must place our faith in these two magicians."   
"Renamon's right, Rika," said Cosmo. "Ace and Angie have risked their lives countless times to protect the people here in Electro City. You don't have to do this alone. Let them help."   
Renamon then placed her paws on her tamer's shoulders. "Do this for your family, too. They're all counting on us right now. We mustn't pass up a chance like this."   
Rika understood how important this moment was and dried her face of all her tears. "Mm-hmm. You're right. If they're willing to lend us their power to help us biomerge, then I'm in. Let's do it!"   
Ace then gave one last warning. "We won't be able to keep it up for too long, probably no longer than 10 minutes maximum. Use any attacks you've got against Milleniummon, and send him back to the Digital World from which he came!" He then turned to Angie. "Are you sure you're up to this?"   
"I _have_ to be. For everyone's sake, I will take the risk."   
The two magicians stepped back and both went into dizzying spins. In unison they screamed, **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!"_**   
As soon as they emerged in their unique crimefighting costumes, they quickly joined hands. Feeling their hearts and minds joining together, the pair shouted, **_"Magic Force, unite our powers!"_**   
Then, it was Angie's turn to speak from her heart. "Magic Force, please hear me now. Give our friends Rika and Renamon the power they need…to _biomerge to mega-level!_"   
Concentrating with all they had, Ace and Angie glowed brighter than ever. Their power blossomed into a gigantic white ball, which soon made its way over to Rika and Renamon.   
"Rika," Ace strained in shouting, "when the light hits you and your friend, that's your opportunity!"   
The white light hovered above the tamer and the Digimon, but it soon exploded and covered them both.   
"I…I can feel it," said Rika as she took her Digivice. "I can feel the power…we _can_ biomerge!" Holding her Digivice up to the sky, she yelled, **_"Biomerge activate!"_**   
The LCD screen exploded in light as she held the Digivice close to her heart. Soon, a huge ball of blue light blossomed around her.   
Renamon could feel Rika as the two started joining together themselves. **_"Renamon biomerge to…"_**   
Within their own unique dimension stood a being with long silver hair and wearing a grey jumpsuit of her own. She summoned four spirits, which gave the new being its golden armor and matching purple gloves and boots with the yin-yang symbol. On her head was a fox-like headdress with special extensions. After a quick jump, a special staff with 10 rings appeared. The biomerge process was completed. **_"Sakuyamon!"_**   
After all the lights disappeared around Rika and Renamon, Cosmo could not believe his eyes. "Wow…that's Sakuyamon?"   
The mega-level Digimon (with both Rika and Renamon's voices) said, "Yes, this is our mega-level. We thank you for giving us this chance. Now we will take advantage and stop Milleniummon and the Chaos!" Sakuyamon soon took to the sky and went up towards the monstrous Digimon.   
"Heh," said Cosmo, "let's see Friedrichs try to arrest _her_."   
Meanwhile, the police had its hands full with trying to stop both Milleniummon and the Chaos.   
Vega had arrived on the scene to try to stop his boss. "Captain, what in blazes are you doing!? We can't stop that Digimon with conventional weapons!"   
"Look, Vega! I am not going to let you just sit around and do nothing! Besides, it doesn't seem we can even put a dent in his armor."   
"Stop!" yelled something coming from behind them in the sky. "You must get out of here. Only I, Sakuyamon, can defeat Milleniummon!"   
When Friedrichs saw the newest weapon approaching, he shouted, "Not another one!" He yelled into his megaphone, "We don't need you to interfere!"   
The form landed on the ground in front of the police. "Listen to me! Your weapons will not be able to stop him. I should know, I've already learned that back in Japan! You have to leave him and the Chaos to me."   
"Sorry, but we're not trusting a robot to stop this monster!"   
Vega listened carefully to the two voices. _That's no robot…that's Rika and Renamon together! I'll bet Ace and Angie had something to do with this. I think she's our only hope._ The lieutenant grabbed the megaphone from Friedrichs. "Sakuyamon, listen to me. I believe in you and what you can do. If no one else here does, then just believe in yourselves!"   
She gave Vega a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Lieutenant Vega. We _do_ believe in ourselves!" Sakuyamon then took to the sky again to launch her own attack against Milleniummon.   
Friedrichs looked at Vega strangely. "What was that all about? What do you mean by your_selves_? There's only one being."   
"Wrong, Captain. There are _two_ beings inside that _one_ form. Go get him, Sakuyamon."   
She immediately got as high as she could, placed her left hand above, and screamed, **_"Spirit Strike!"_**   
Four colored spirits emerged from Sakuyamon's glowing self to attack Milleniummon. "Take that!"   
The spirits combined into one larger form and made a direct hit on the monstrous Digimon.   
Milleniummon was hit hard enough for him to take a couple of steps back, but not enough to slow him down. "You fool! What are you doing!? We could destroy this world where its people make slaves out of Digimon!"   
"You're completely wrong!" shouted Sakuyamon. "Humankind and Digimon _can_ work together, as demonstrated by this fact…I am _two_ beings: The human girl Rika Nonaka and the Digimon Renamon! We have the power to biomerge as one!"   
"We'll see, fools! **_Dimension Destroyer!_**"   
Another blast came from his cannon, and that one struck an empty neighborhood not too far away from the Magic Express.   
Meanwhile, Ace and Angie continued holding their strength to allow Sakuyamon to keep her mega form. Time, though, was their worst enemy.   
"Don't worry, Angie," said Ace, "I know they can do it."   
"I know, but I'm not sure how much longer we can keep it up. I don't think I've got enough strength to hold out. I have to warn her." _Sakuyamon, listen to me, I'm weakening rapidly. You've got to use the strongest attack you have to stop him. Hurry, please._   
_ I understand, Angie. Just hold on a little more._ "It's time for our strongest attack!" Placing her right hand to her heart, Sakuyamon screamed, **_"Amethyst Mandala!"_**   
Soon, a huge explosion of light came from Sakuyamon, creating a powerful field which would hopefully put an end to Milleniummon. That attack soon left her severely weakened, however.   
"Rika," said Renamon's essence. "Ace and Angie…they won't be able to hold out much longer."   
The strain on the two magicians became tremendous.   
"Ace…I'm too weak…can't sustain…any longer…" She soon let go and dropped unconscious to the ground.   
"Too much…power used…I'm tapped…" Ace soon gave out and fainted.   
Cosmo and Zina soon ran up to their unconscious friends.   
"Aw, man. I just hope Sakuyamon was able to finish that mega-monster off. Otherwise, we're in big trouble!"   
Just after he said that, a strange light appeared above him. He held his hands in front of him, and the light floated into his hands. When the light disappeared, he noticed a strange device. It looked almost exactly the same as the device Rika used, but this had an orange color as opposed to her blue. "How weird…this almost looks like Rika's—no…it couldn't be…a _Digivice_ of my own!?" He then remembered what he thought was a dream. _It will be up to both of you to save Electro City from total destruction…_ "That wasn't a dream at all…that angel was real! I must've passed out when he touched that stick on my head."   
Sakuyamon was far too weak to retain her mega form any longer. As a result, they reverted back into Rika and Renamon. They both started falling rapidly, but Renamon quickly landed on her feet and caught Rika before she could get seriously injured.   
"Rika…are you all right?"   
The teenage girl slowly opened her eyes and said, "I think so. Ace and Angie must not have been able to keep it up for too long. Did we succeed?"   
They looked up and noticed Milleniummon no longer had the Dimension Destroyer cannon on top of him, but he was still strong enough to cause major damage.   
"I don't need my cannon to destroy this accursed city!" he yelled. "I can still destroy it with my own two feet and the fire of my coat!"   
Ace and Angie slowly regained consciousness from exerting much of their own power.   
Cosmo held his own Digivice tightly in his right hand. "I know what I did with _Raptor XII_, but I'm not guilty anymore. Sakuyamon isn't our last chance…Zina and I are!"   
Ace looked at his longtime apprentice. "What's going on? What's happening with Cosmo?"   
"I don't know," Angie answered weakly. She then noticed the Digivice. "I don't believe it! Cosmo has his own Digivice! But how?"   
Ace then noticed Zina glowing in a strange cerulean light. "Zina? She looks like she's gearing for something."   
Renamon carried Rika while Vega all ran up to see the two magicians on the ground.   
"Ace, Angie!" yelled Vega. He first came up to Ace. "Buddy, you all right?"   
"I…think so, Vega. Wow, I haven't pushed myself that hard since trying to stop a explosive car from hitting the ground in Yokiko's circus."   
Rika soon found her new friend barely awake. "Angie…oh, man, you're pale."   
"I kinda figured that would be the case. You're not going to believe this…Cosmo has his own Digivice."   
"That's impossible. I thought only a child could have one."   
"No," said Renamon. "Remember what Ace told us? Cosmo is an adult, but he still thinks and acts like a teenager. I think he's finally putting his own guilt over _Raptor XII_ behind him forever."   
Cosmo moved the Digivice to just in front of his heart. "I'm no longer guilty over what I did with that digital character over four years ago. Angemon gave me something…a reason to believe I _can_ put an end to this nightmare here in Electro City. He was a real Digimon, and he gave me an attack specifically for this purpose. It's time I put this to good use." He then noticed Zina's light. "I guess Angemon gave you an opportunity, too. I just hope you know what you're doing, girl. And for that matter, so do I. It's up to _us_ to save Electro City, so **_let's go!_**"   
As the young man and the panther started running toward the Chaos, Angie desperately screamed, "Cosmo, what are you doing!?"   
"You're going to get yourselves killed!" Vega shouted. "Don't do it!"   
"Cosmo, Zina, stop!" yelled Ace. "Come back!"   
Rika cried, "It's too dangerous…you're not a Digimon. You can't fight that thing!"   
The two ignored their friends' cries and pressed themselves forward.   
_Man, I feel this surging energy,_ the young man thought to himself. _Angemon, I don't know what you did to me and Zina, but thanks. I believe in Zina, and I believe in **myself!**_   
He felt the energy from his Digivice all over his body, but more importantly in his heart and soul. His body glowed in a fluorescent orange light, which caused him to start running even faster than he had ever done in his life.   
Zina also felt the energy from both Cosmo and the Digivice, which helped her running speed become far quicker than before. She soon imagined a large hoop no more than 15 feet behind Milleniummon and the Chaos. Jumping higher and farther than any hoop she had done with Ace, Angie, or both, she easily soared over the monstrous Digimon and the red jelly-like substance.   
Milleniummon did try to grab Zina but was unable to do so because she went so fast in getting by him. "No! A four-legged creature gets past me so easily!? This is not possible! Carbon-based beings cannot do this!"   
After going through the mysterious hoop again, the hoop materialized into the strange doorway, except this time it was large enough to fit both creatures to go through. Once again, the doors opened with a strange light.   
Cosmo himself held his Digivice tightly in his left hand while he made a superhuman jump into the sky. His right hand started glowing brightly. He realized this was the moment of truth…but how could a human standing no more than five feet and nine inches be a match for a 35-foot digital monster?   
Milleniummon noticed the small sliver of light rising higher into the air. "What is this? A small pathetic human challenges my mighty strength? I don't need my cannon to finish you. I can just blow you away from here!"   
Concentrating with every ounce of strength within him, Cosmo looked at his opponent with angry eyes glowing in orange. "Buddy, you've got _no_ idea what we humans are capable of! Creepymon was right about you…you're all talk and no action!"   
"We shall see, human germ! You can't even get close to me without burning in my flame coating!"   
Realizing the doorway was now open, Cosmo was finally ready. _All right, it's all or nothing now._ "Who said I had to get close to you? All I have to do is…**_this!_**" Putting everything he had into his right fist, he threw a strong right jab, which released the power of his attack.   
The small beam of light quickly grew larger and started pushing Milleniummon and the Chaos toward the doorway!   
"No…this is impossible! I cannot be defeated by a mere human boy!"   
"Guess you don't know me very well, do ya!?" Cosmo taunted. "Take your Chaos friend and get out of here! Oh, and say hi to _Raptor XII_ for me if and when you should meet him!"   
His pure adrenaline caused the light to overpower the two monsters, pushing them both through the giant doorway.   
"A human!? How can he be so small yet so strong!?"   
"That's somethin' you'll never understand, creep! Now **_get lost!_**"   
That scream finally sent the Chaos and Milleniummon completely through the entrance!   
**_"NOOOOOOOOOO!"_** squealed Milleniummon as the sound echoed through the doorway.   
In a matter of seconds, the passage closed again and dissolved away…Electro City was saved from total destruction.   
The Digivice in Cosmo's hand shattered into thousands of small pieces, as though the device had served its intended purpose.   
Cosmo himself felt very weakened and started falling rapidly towards certain death!   
Renamon, however, jumped up and caught him. "Gotcha!" She held on to him as tightly as possible as they landed safely on the ground. As she gently lay Cosmo on the ground, she said, "It's over. Milleniummon and the Chaos are gone from this city."   
Zina ran up to lick on Cosmo, her relieved he was all right after such an experience.   
Ace, Angie, Rika, and Vega all ran up to where the others were.   
"Cosmo," said a worried Ace, "please tell me you're all right."   
Slowly opening his eyes, the young man said, "Okay…I'll tell…you I'm all right."   
Renamon helped him to sit up and feel comfortable. "I don't know how you were able to stop them with your own attack. You must be a Digimon yourself or something."   
"No…a Digimon gave me the chance to use his attack. That 'dream' wasn't a dream after all."   
Just then, Rumiko, Zelda, and Renaldo all arrived on the scene.   
Rumiko noticed her daughter was safe. "Rika!" She ran up to her daughter to give her a tight hug.   
"Mom…"   
"I'm so glad you're all right. You were able to stop those monsters from destroying the city."   
"No, Mom. It wasn't me or Renamon. It was Cosmo and Zina."   
"A boy and the panther? How is that possible?"   
Suddenly, they all heard the sounds of cocking guns. "All right, nobody move!" demanded Friedrichs. "You're all going to jail for the damage you've done to this city, and I'm going to make sure the key gets thrown away!"   
"You will do _no_ such thing, Friedrichs!" yelled Senator Dobbs, who emerged from the shelter with Miss Lindquist. "These people, along with the panther and that…um, what is it called again?"   
Renamon chuckled, "It is called _Digimon_, sir."   
"Yes, thank you. That Digimon and these others saved millions of lives here in the past couple of days. If you place _any_ of them under arrest, I will see you are no longer Chief of Police! Is that understood?"   
"Yes, Senator." He then ordered the officers to put their guns away and leave the scene.   
The mayor then said, "I want to thank you all for protecting the city the way you did. Now, I wish I could give a public ceremony, but I think it's best we clean up the mess first."   
"If it's no offense, sir," said Renamon, "we would prefer not to have any ceremony, as this was just one victory in a dangerous ongoing war."   
"Of course, I understand. Your friend mentioned the situation being far worse in Japan. Besides, it'll save us a million dollars to do a ceremony."   
"Um, Senator," said Lindquist straightly, "It's going to cost at least _ten_ million to clean up the city."   
"What? That much!? Oh, great, just great!" He then stormed away for his car.   
Lindquist turned to the others and said, "Thanks for saving the city…all of you." She then followed her boss and soon left for City Hall once again.   
Rika then stated, "I think we need to head back to the Magic Express. I _know_ what attacks Cosmo and Zina were able to use against Milleniummon and the Chaos."   
Within 20 minutes, everyone gathered at the Magic Express, where Rika pulled out her deck of battle cards from her packet. "Okay, let me see…ah, here they are. Angemon and MagnaAngemon."   
Cosmo, still recovering from his wild ordeal said, "Wait…Angemon, that's the Digimon who was there in the middle of the fire. He touched me with his stick, and I must've passed out."   
"That 'stick' is called his Angel Staff. Apparently Angemon blessed you with his _Hand of Fate_ attack. Angemon is an Angel Vaccine Digimon, but he's only at the champion level. I guess you fueled your attack by your emotions…and your history with _Raptor XII_."   
"I'm just glad that's behind me. I told Milleniummon to say hi to him if they should ever meet."   
"What about Zina?" asked Angie with arousing curiosity. "What did she do?"   
"Well, she did MagnaAngemon's _Gate of Destiny_ attack. My guess is that Angemon digivolved to ultimate level and blessed her with that one. How else could Zina make the gate appear?"   
Ace then realized, "Then _that's_ how she stopped Creepymon…Zina opened the Gate of Destiny and somehow pushed the Digimon through it."   
"Yeah," said Cosmo, "but my Digivice shattered completely. I guess its job was done when Zina and I finished them off."   
"Apparently so," added Renamon. "The city is now safe."   
Zelda added, "And we still had a successful photo shoot despite everything. There's only one more thing to do, and I need Rika to come with me."   
Rika had to think for a moment and finally remembered. "The casual photo shoot with you and me! I forgot all about it!"   
Zelda then took out two one-time use cameras. "One for you and one for me."   
Rumiko, however, pulled out her own camera. "Wait, um, can I do this, too? I want to see Rika just being herself also."   
The tamer smiled at her mother. "Really? You mean it?"   
"Of course, sweetie. You have the right to choose your own path, and I know right now being a Digimon tamer is the path. Let's go out and enjoy this!"   
Zelda, Rumiko, and Rika shared a couple of hours around the various sites in Electro City, all taking the most candid and casual photos of themselves just having fun. It was all worth it, seeing that Rika was a part of a group that had saved Electro City from certain doom. 

A couple of days later, Rika and her family were at the airport with Ace, Angie, Cosmo, and Zina.   
"I wish we could stay longer," said Rika, "but I've learned from Takato that the situation there is worsening rapidly. Renamon and I have to return so we can help out there. Will they be in for quite a story."   
Cosmo agreed. "Yeah. Tell 'em _everything_. Especially about me."   
Angie poked Cosmo in the arm. "Stop that, silly. Remember, you're not getting a ceremony."   
"Aw, did ya have to remind me?"   
Ace then stepped up and shook Rika's hand. "Rika, you've proven to be a tough young lady who doesn't take anything lying down. I hope you and Renamon can help the others stop the D-Reaper in Japan."   
"So do I. Oh, um, before I forget, could I get autographed pics of you for my friends, all…11 of them?"   
"You need only ask." He then made 11 photos each with his picture and autograph appear. "Here you go."   
"Thanks. I'll never forget this trip, or all the fun I had here in Electro City, despite the Digimon and the Chaos."   
Rumiko then stepped up. "Zelda said as soon as she gets the photos developed, she'll send my mother, Rika, and me copies of them."   
"Good," said Mishara. "I certainly look forward to seeing the candid photo shoot between all three of you."   
An announcement soon came through the intercom. "Flight 1277 bound for Tokyo International now boarding at Gate 23."   
Rika said, "Well, that's our flight. Guess it's time for us to go."   
"Rika, wait," said Angie. "There's something I want to give you." She put out her right hand and made a butterfly necklace appear. "Take this to remember your experience here in Electro City."   
The tamer took the necklace. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Angie. You're one of the best friends I've ever had." She hugged her friend happily.   
She then looked at Cosmo. "Cosmo, I hope you'll find your real destiny someday. You really shined when it was needed the most."   
"Hey, I'm just happy I was able to help out in any way. Of course, I probably wouldn't feel comfortable doing that biomerge thing, but I'm sure glad you do. Good luck back in Japan." He then shook her hand out of friendship.   
"Thanks. Well, we'd better board the plane before we get stuck here."   
With that, the Nonaka family boarded their plan for their journey home.   
However, Angie sent a thought to Renamon. _Please take care of Rika, my friend. And good luck in hopefully being able to defeat the D-Reaper once and for all._   
_ I have always watched over her and always will. We will stop the D-Reaper, some way, somehow. Farewell, Angela Jacobs. May the magic within you always shine brightly._   
"Farewell, Renamon," she said quietly. Angie looked at her friends and said, "Let's go home, guys."   
With arms around each other's shoulders, Ace, Angie, and Cosmo, with Zina tagging along, returned home to the Magic Express. 

In a matter of hours, Rika and her family were safely back in Japan, where Takato and Henry had waited for them to return.   
"Welcome back, Rika," said Henry. "How was the trip?"   
"It was so unbelievable, it'll take at least three hours to tell the whole story."   
Takato chuckled and said, "Hey, the Chaos here hasn't grown any since you left, so I think there's some time for you to tell us the story."   
"That's part of the story…the Chaos actually showed up in Electro City."   
"You're kidding! The red junk showed up there!? Why?"   
"Simple. It wanted Renamon and me to get back here. And…would you believe Renamon and I were able to biomerge because of Ace Cooper and Angela Jacobs?"   
Henry was dumbfounded. "The two magicians were able to help you biomerge…in the real world?"   
"That's right, but oh, brother, there's so much I've got to tell you. First things first, though. I have a great little souvenir for each of you and the others." Rika then gave Henry and Takato each an autographed photo of Ace Cooper himself.   
"Whoa," said Takato in awe. "This is _way_ cool. So, Mr. Cooper turned out to be an okay guy?"   
"A lot more than okay, Takato. Ace Cooper is really the best magician in the world…and a great friend."   
Rika Nonaka could not wait to tell her friends about her experience in Electro City, California, and Renamon would be there as well, since she played a major role in helping protect Electro City from destruction by the Chaos. 

Electro City, California, is now safe from the danger known as the Chaos. If not for the heroic efforts of Rika Nonaka, Renamon, Ace Cooper, Cosmo, Zina, and Angela Jacobs, the city would have been destroyed completely. Of course, Rika and Renamon had to return to Japan to face more of the Chaos and eventually the D-Reaper. _Digimon_ fans know what happened there... 

I hope I was able to send some major shockwaves to fans of both _The Magician_ and _Digimon_, since some wild ideas were put into play in this story. That's the power of the Internet, the ability to take two things that are completely different and putting them together into a weird story with strange twists and turns. Who knows what my next _trick_ could be... 


End file.
